Cabinet approves $55m for Kumasi roads rehabilitation, 450 Communities in 10 regions to get improved water supply
The Cabinet has given approval for two projects to be undertaken by the government in the coming months, pending parliamentary approval.
They are a $55-million, 100-kilometre road rehabilitation project for some communities in Kumasi and the establishment of a peri-urban and rural water supply project for 450 communities across 10 regions.
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The Cabinet has also cautioned actors and players in the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) registration value chain to ensure compliance with the legislative instrument on SIM registration.
The Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, made these known at a press briefing in Accra yesterday.
Road rehabilitation
He explained that the $55 million to fund the road rehabilitation project was a credit agreement between the government of Ghana and the Deutsche Bank and was meant for ancillary infrastructure for Kumasi inner city roads.
The scope of work to be undertaken under the project includes the rehabilitation of a 13-kilometre road in the Bantama sub-metro, an 11.6-kilometre road at Kwadaso, an 8.98-kilometre road at Manhyia, 10.61 kilometres at Oforikrom and 12 kilometres at Suame.
The rest are Subin, 13.25 kilometres; Asokwa, 11.25 kilometres; Nhyiaeso, 10.13 kilometres, and Tafo Pankrono, 8.96 kilometres.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said other activities would also be undertaken under the priority infrastructure project, including the rehabilitation and upgrade of some selected roads, the provision of traffic management and pedestrian safety facilities, which include road line markings, traffic signs and the installation of traffic control devices, as well as the rehabilitation of some drainage facilities in those areas.
The road rehabilitation project would commence as soon as Parliament gave approval for it, the minister said, and added that it was scheduled to be completed in 24 months.
He said the rehabilitation of the roads was in accordance with the government’s recognition that good road infrastructure was a critical facilitator for rapid socio-economic development.
Water supply project
Giving details on the peri-urban and rural water supply project, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said it would provide clean drinking water for parts of the Volta, Eastern, Greater Accra and Ashanti regions, using an advanced technology from the United Kingdom (UK).
He explained that the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), in conjunction with Aqua Africa Limited, based in the UK, had been working together to deliver the project.
"The government is embarking on this project as part of measures to attain Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Six on clean water and sanitation for all to cater for un-served, hard-to-reach rural populations within these regions," he explained.
The water supply project, he said, was also to improve the delivery of sanitation and hygiene services in the peril-urban and rural areas and improve water access to about 225,000 people.
The project was expected to be executed over an 18-month period, he said.
SIM card registration
On SIM card registration, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said actors and players in the registration value chain, who include subscribers and agents of mobile network operators, were being cautioned to ensure stricter compliance with the SIM registration and activation process, in line with all relevant statutory provisions governing the telecommunications sector.
He said the government had taken note of the numerous concerns that were relative to some deficiencies in the SIM card registration regime, which included the sale of pre-registered SIM cards and the use of fraudulently registered ones.
"These deficiencies give way to potential fraudulent activities, such as mobile money fraud, illegal SIM swap, the termination of international traffic or SIM boxing, impersonation and cyber-crime," he pointed out.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said while the government continued to partner the relevant institutions to complete the roll out of the national identification card to be used, also for SIM registration, the National Communications Authority (NCA) was encouraging all actors to ensure strict compliance with the law and engage all relevant stakeholders to address the deficiencies in the system.
He said the government would soon clamp down on the activities of all those involved in the pre-SIM card registration fraud and all pre-registered SIM cards in the system.
“The government assures the public that it is committed to building a strong, secure and resilient communications industry for the benefit of the citizenry and the entire country.
“The government also encourages all subscribers to verify the authenticity of their SIM registration by dialing *400# on any network. For any information to assist the government in this exercise, members of the public may call 0800110622,” he added.