Residents of cocoa-producing communities in the Aowin Municipality of the Western North Region have appealed to the government to reconstruct the 71-kilometre Elubo–Enchi road, which has deteriorated so badly that commercial vehicles have stopped using the stretch.
Speaking to Citi News, the residents said the absence of vehicles has forced them to rely solely on motorbikes and tricycles for transportation, an option they describe as costly and dangerous, especially during medical emergencies.
“Motorbike riders charge GHC150 from Jema to Elubo because of the poor road, but if the road were good, taxi drivers would take just GHC20. The motorbikes charge whatever they want because of the bad road, and if you refuse, you are stranded,” one resident complained.
Another resident, Janet Kwaw, said the situation is taking a toll on vulnerable people, including pregnant women and the sick.
“The road has made life here very difficult. It is hard to transport sick or pregnant women. We are farmers, and many resources come from this community, yet our roads remain in a poor state,” she added.
Frustrated by years of neglect, the residents warned that they may vote against the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2028 elections if the situation persists.
“We are pleading with the government to fix the road. If they don’t, we will vote against them in 2028,” a resident said.
Meanwhile, the Western North Regional Minister, Wilbert Petty Brentum, assured the communities that the Elubo–Jema–Enchi road has been captured under the President’s Big Push agenda.
“We have been able to push five major roads under the Big Push, and Elubo to Jema to Enchi is one of them. The President has reiterated it, and in the recent budget, the Finance Minister also confirmed that once the contract is awarded, we do not expect the contractor to spend more than two years,” he said.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in September 2020, cut the sod for the commencement of construction of the 71.25-kilometre Enchi-Elubo Road, with $116 million funding from COCOBOD. Despite raising the expectation of the Chiefs and people of Elubo, Boinso, Jema and Enchi, the road was never constructed.
