Veep inaugurates Obuasi lorry park; Cuts sod for construction of market, transport terminal at Kunka
The Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, Tuesday inaugurated the first phase of the Obuasi Horsey Lorry Park Terminal, with a call on the people to cultivate a good maintenance culture to ensure that the development projects in the Obuasi municipality last long.
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Completed at a cost of GH¢1 million, the project comes with other facilities such as a police post, a fire station and a clinic to serve as a one-stop station for drivers, passengers and residents.
The completion of the second phase would bring the total cost of the facility to GH¢5 million.
Mr Amissah-Arthur assured the chiefs and people of the municipality that the government would continue its agenda of “touching lives and transforming Ghana”.
He said the execution of the lorry terminal project was in fulfilment of a promise the President made to the people in the run-up to the 2012 elections and that as a social democratic government, the delivery of social services and infrastructure was its preoccupation.
The Vice-President made reference to the asphalted Praso road leading to the Obuasi municipality which was helping to boost economic activities in the area.
He added that the municipality alone would benefit from three of the government’s day senior high schools with the construction of the first school project about 75 per cent complete.
Minister
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Peter Anarfi-Mensah, in his address, said three lorry terminals had recently been provided in the region, resulting in accelerated business development.
He said neighbouring communities also stood to benefit from the terminals that would in the final analysis translate into improved economic activities in the region.
Mr Anarfi-Mensah asked the municipal assembly to ensure regular maintenance of the facility and called on drivers who would be operating at the terminal to be law-abiding.
Adansihene
The Adansihene, Opagyakotwere Bonsra Afriyie II, appealed to the government to ensure that chiefs in the area were paid their royalties in order to complement the government’s development effort.
He noted that since October 2012, royalties had not been paid to the chiefs and implored the government to, as a matter of urgency, investigate the matter.
He further expressed concern about the fact that residents in the municipality who were supposed to directly benefit from the gold resources in the area were not experiencing such a development and urged the government to correct that misnomer.
Opagyakotwere Afriyie, however, expressed appreciation to the government for the development projects initiated in the area, including the 120-bed hospital constructed for the people.
The Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Richard Ofori-Agyeman Boadi, said work on the terminal, which stalled after 2000, resumed when the NDC assumed office in 2008.
The Vice-President also cut the sod for the construction of a market and a transport terminal at Kunka in Obuasi.