Business executives in the Tema Industrial Area and other stakeholders have called on the government to construct the roads in the enclave, particularly the portion from the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) linking the Tema-Aflao road.
They contended that the muddy and dusty road, riddled with potholes, caused frequent accidents and traffic congestion which created a lot of inconvenience to businesses.
The Managing Director of Tropical Cable and Conductor Ltd (TCCL), Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, put the stakeholders’ concerns across when the Deputy Transport Minister and Member of Parliament for Tema East, Mr Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, visited the TCCL to familiarise himself with the operations of the company.
Large taxpayers
Some industrialists, including the managing directors of T T Brothers, Mr Isaac Tettey, and FAN Milk Ghana Ltd, Mr Kamal Ram, also attended the meeting.
“About 99 per cent of industries in Tema use this road which makes it busy with heavy-duty vehicles, yet the road is in a bad state. The government should, therefore, take a serious look at the road and construct it as soon as possible,” Mr Oteng-Gyasi said.
He said incidentally, the industries there were among the large taxpayers, hence rehabilitating the road would enhance their operations to generate more revenue for the country.
Construction of road
For his part, Mr Tettey suggested the upgrading of the road to a dual carriage way to minimise traffic congestion.
Responding to their concerns, Mr Titus-Glover assured the business executives of the government’s commitment to rehabilitate the road as soon as possible.
He said he and the Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwasi Amoako Atta, had inspected the road about a month ago and that it had been tabled for consideration.
“We want to assure you that we have started something and very soon it will materialise,” he stated.
Government’s commitment
Mr Titus-Glover maintained that the government took keen interest in creating an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive, hence the need to construct the road to enhance their operations.
The deputy transport minister said since the government was not pro-tax but production oriented, the only way it could generate revenue was from the productivity of the private sector, hence the importance of constructing the road.