Constituency Watch: Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfro cry for roads, other developments
It is the last constituency in the Greater Accra Region before entering the Central Region at Kasoa. With a voter population of 111,000 going by the 2020 general election, Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfro Constituency in the Ga South Municipality has been grappling with multiple developmental issues since its creation in 2012.
Bordered by the Weija-Gbawe Constituency to the east, Awutu Senya East Constituency to the western north, the Gomoa East Constituency to the western south area and Domeabra-Obom Constituency to the north, this coastal constituency covers Aplaku, Bortianor, Oshiyie, Kokrobite, Tuba and parts of Weija.
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Swing constituency
Although relatively young, the constituency, one of the 34 constituencies in the region, has politically become a swing seat. It has since its creation voted both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MPs).
Its current MP is Sylvester Tetteh, who clinched the seat on the ticket of the NPP in 2020. He is the third MP of the constituency.
Saad Habib was his predecessor, who also stood on the ticket of the NPP to assume that office in 2016, while the NDC MP for the area, Bright Kodzo Demordzi, was the pacesetter in running the affairs of the constituency in 2012.
The 2024 Elections, therefore, remain the litmus test case for the ruling NPP and the opposition NDC as to who will clinch that seat and represent the constituency in the Ninth Parliament from January 7, 2025.
Demographics
The constituency has a mix of both formal and informal workers made up of politicians, civil and public servants, teachers, traders, commercial drivers, fishermen and farmers, among others.
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In spite of challenges, the constituency is a beneficiary of two factories currently operating under the government’s One-District, one-factory policy. One of them, Everpure Ghana Limited, is sited at Tomefa in Ngleshie Amanfro. The factory produces sachet and bottled water. The other factory established to produce diapers, known as Sunda International, is located at Dunkona.
Major Challenges
Bad roads, inadequate drains, bridges, perennial flooding and faulty or inadequate streetlights are among the major challenges facing the constituency.
Other challenges are youth unemployment with some involved in land guardism, lack of potable water and security.
Roads
Just about two per cent of the 1,700 kilometres of the roads in the area have been tarred.
Four taxi drivers at the Galilea Market taxi rank, Nyavlo Mawuli, Emmanuel Mensah, Richard Agyakwa and Christopher Yaw Ahiable, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, called for the roads, bridges, drains and streetlights to be properly examined and fixed.
They said a good stretch of road at Aplaku, and that leading from Ajasco Junction to Red Top the West Hills Mall were in deplorable state. Kuwait, Holy Market and Emmanuel Estates roads need to be put in good shape.
They also mentioned the non-functional streetlights in some areas including around the Ga South Municipal Assembly that must be urgently fixed.
The taxi drivers were of the view that most of the gutters and drains in the constituency had not been either desilted or were defective thereby causing flooding and damage to the roads.
Two teachers, Florence Baidoo and Justus Abban, also reiterated the need to provide more drains and fix the bad roads around the Ngleshi Amanfro Kingstown Black Gate area.
Flooding in the area, they explained, could be minimised if the drains were provided. It would also help to reduce the negative impact on the deplorable roads.
Opinion leaders
Two opinion leaders, Francis Tetteh and Nii Armah Bannerman, both expressed worry about the floods in the area, which they noted was usually caused by unauthorised structures built on watercourses.
A trader, Rosemary Addai, described the Kingstown area of Ngleshi Amanfro as “an SOS situation” because the lack of drainage systems and properly laid out roads and lanes result in intense flooding.
She pointed out that areas such as the Black Gate stretch through to Fear God and the Darius International School vicinities were among the most affected areas of flooding during the rainy season.
The residents, therefore, called on the Ga South Municipal Assembly and the MP to push harder to save the situation as well as the residents.
Opposition
The Constituency Secretary of the NDC, Sam Ampiah said from Red Top to New Bortianor to Broadcasting area there were many houses that did not have pipe-borne water and so they have drilled boreholes to provide water for the households.
“You need to have a borehole, if you don’t drill it, you will be compelled to buy at least GH¢700 worth of water from water tanker operators per week," he stated.
The secretary, therefore, called on the government to fast track the pace of development in the constituency because its level of infrastructure, particularly the roads, was not the best.
Some residents, including commercial drivers, teachers, opinion leaders and traders, also expressed concerns about the challenges and called on duty bearers to urgently address them.
Projects
When contacted, the Municipal Chief Executive for the Ga South Municipal Assembly, Joseph Nyarni Stephen, outlined some projects which were ready for inauguration.
They include a Divisional Police Headquarters at Tuba and a community centre at Ngleshie Amanfro.
Other projects are at various stages of completion include the male ward at Ngleshie Amanfro Polyclinic, the Mother and Child Unit at Obom Health Centre and a two-storey six unit classroom block at Ashalaja.
Work is also ongoing to complete a two-unit Kindergarten block at the Bortianor Municipal Assembly (M/A) Basic School.
Acknowledgement
The MP for the area, Slyvester Tetteh told the Daily Graphic that at the time he assumed office, less than two per cent of the 1,700 kilometres of the roads in the area had been tarred, saying that “it tells you the enormity of the challenge we have in the road sector”.
He admitted being aware of the displeasure of residents about the poor state of roads in the communities.
Mr Tetteh, however, revealed that funding had been a challenge for successive governments to be able to put roads in the area in good shape.
“I am very much aware of the challenges but I never promised that I was going to fix all roads; rather I pledged to play an advocacy role and lobby for the road sector to get a facelift," Mr Tetteh indicated.
Minister visits
The MP stated that apart from bringing the sector minister to assess the poor roads himself to understand the nature of the problem in the constituency, he had initiated steps to get some of them to be awarded on contract.
They include the Broadcasting and American roads, which had been tarred but yet to be asphalted to give it a longer lifespan.
The Finney Hospital road and Bortianor-Chokome road were awarded but the contractors abandoned sites and the projects had been rewarded on contract, Mr Tetteh explained.
The MP further stated that Amanfro and New Bortianor roads now had asphalt overlays.
He said about 30km of key roads had been approved for construction. They include the Ajasco to Red Top area popularly called Odakona to the West Hills Mall area.
A contract has also been signed for the rehabilitation of the 6.4km Chinese-Red Top-Ajasco junction road.
Other areas earmarked for rehabilitation are the Fulani area in New Bortianor, Babadogo, Odasiman, Lighthouse areas, and Akpasa enclave to Ayalolo in Bortianor.
The biggest of all the contracts awarded described as the coastal roads is the 24km old barrier to Tuba junction road which is in a deplorable state. When completed the MP explained, it would be asphalted to give it a longer lifespan.
“This road is a very strategic road because it serves as a link road to all the tourism potentials in the entire area,” Mr Tetteh observed.
Drains, challenges
On drains, he said about 40km of drains in the constituency have been earmarked for construction.
“All that we are talking about, approvals have been given but it all boils down to the capacity of contractors and funding; this is because the government does not give mobilisation for road construction," he further explained.
Other sectors
The MP indicated that sectors such as education, health, sports, youth employment, security, women empowerment had all received attention during his tenure.
The projects include roofing and completion of a five-bed maternity ward for Kokrobite health centre, and the employment of over 40 youth under an initiative dubbed “C.V. Clinic for Youth".
Other projects include training of 50 women in entrepreneurship development with Seed capital provided to the beneficiaries, completion of 1,000-seater Astro Turf at Tuba, with two more earmarked for construction in communities yet to be identified.