Waiting for new look of Nkrumah Circle
Very soon, the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, the heartbeat of Accra, will be given a facelift.
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The circle, arguably the busiest area in the city in terms of vehicular and human traffic, will witness a major construction programme by way of an interchange.
Efforts in the past to upgrade arterial roads did not help ease traffic congestion at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, especially at peak hours.
The idea of an interchange to make for the free movement of vehicles and pedestrians at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle has been on the drawing board for many years.
While our governments struggle to find resources to construct the interchange, the traffic jams disrupt easy access of people to their workplaces and homes, thereby retarding productivity.
The bottleneck is not only at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle; that distraction can be found on all major roads in the city and other business centres in the country.
Generally, effective communication, including good road networks, serves as the engine of economic growth. Good roads facilitate the movement of goods and services to where they are required to serve the needs of the people.
It is unfortunate that Ghana still lags behind in the provision of good roads across the country.
In a country where our rail network has virtually collapsed, water transport virtually non-existent, and internal air transport now trying to catch up with the demands of the people, the roads are the best means of travelling to and from work, the marketplaces and our homes.
Our governments have tried to improve the road network over the years but we think action has been slow. To facilitate the quick development of the country, the government must place more emphasis on the reconstruction of major roads.
In recent years, all good roads have been tolled, with the tolls adjusted substantially
This means that some revenue is accruing from road tolls and we urge the government to pump the revenue into the redevelopment of more roads to facilitate more economic development efforts.
The Daily Graphic commends the Brazilian government for its support towards the construction of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange to befit the status of the city and, more importantly, as a lasting legacy to the memory of our first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
This major development will come with some challenges, as there will be some winners and some losers. Some businesses in the area will have to be relocated to make way for the project.
The Daily Graphic urges the government to take account of the frustration that will emerge and resettle, as well as pay compensation to those who would lose out following the construction of the interchange.
The public education carried out last Tuesday was meant to sensitise the public to the project and the likely inconvenience to be caused to motorists and pedestrians during the construction.
And since development processes are meant to achieve desirable change in society, the Daily Graphic urges all residents of Accra and visitors to the city to bear with the contractors, Quieroz Galvao Construction, a Brazilian construction firm, to execute the project on schedule to ease vehicular movement and give a facelift to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.