Gold Fields Funds 11.6 Million Cedis Alternative Road to Ease Tarkwa Traffic

The 2.1-kilometre link from New Atuabo Budo City Junction to Bogoso Junction will provide a crucial bypass for commuters, marking a significant infrastructure investment by the mining company in its host communities.Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony, Abdel-Razak Yakubu, Executive Secretary of the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation, emphasised that infrastructure development is a core pillar of the Foundation's mission. He explained that the initiative directly responded to a request from New Atuabo, a community resettled over two decades ago due to mining activities.

"Community leaders thought it wise to approach the Foundation to put in some money to construct a road that links their community to Bogoso Junction," Yakubu stated. "This will serve as an alternative to the main Tarkwa Station-Bogoso Junction road."

Yakubu highlighted the severe impact of congestion on the existing main road: "During the construction of that main road, there was a lot of traffic on it. People spend a lot of economic time stuck in traffic." He described the new road's critical function: "So this becoming an alternative will free the area so that if you do not have any business doing at the Tarkwa main station, from Bogoso, Abosso, and Damang, you could just use this bypass that we are constructing and just emerge at New Atuabo and continue onwards to Tarkwa main town. This is how important we see this project."

Originally projected to span two years, Yakubu revealed the contractor's commitment to completing the work within a year or less. "If you look at the equipment that is already on site, you can tell they mean business," he noted, adding that the Foundation is "well equipped financially to push the project as fast as the contractor wants to go." Quality assurance, he emphasized, involves close collaboration with municipal technocrats: "We are ensuring top quality construction by involving technocrats at the municipal assembly. The design and everything were done by the municipal assembly urban roads engineer." Yakubu also expressed gratitude for the support of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) and the New Atuabo community.

The Member of Parliament for Tarkwa Nsuaem, Issah Salifu Taylor, hailed the project as long-awaited and timely.

"It has come at the right time because it has come under my leadership as a member of parliament for the municipality," Issah Taylor said. "I have always said that as a leader, it is important to bring development to your people. Gold Fields is doing well, they are doing marvellously well in the constituency, and I am taking this opportunity to commend them... I also commend the chief of New Atuabo, Nana Kwaku Baah, for pursuing [this project]."

Issah Taylor acknowledged the broader challenges of inner-road infrastructure within the municipality, declaring fixing them a top priority. "The inner roads in Tarkwa Nsuaem are very bad, and it is the priority of the leadership to ensure that most of the inner roads are fixed before the end of my tenure. This is just the beginning."

He outlined an ambitious plan: "After this, coming days we are going to work on the Alimens road as well... Benso road, Cyanide, Tarkwa, Banso, Esuaso will all see a major facelift." The MP stressed the link between good roads and economic growth: "Before you can have a developed area, it is important to make sure that commercial activities in the area have to be improved... It cannot be improved just like that; it has to be improved by good roads, most importantly, inner roads. We are fortunate that our highways are good, but after veering off the highway, you will have to drive to our homes, and that is where the problem is."

Issah Taylor pledged collaborative leadership: "I will use my leadership to collaborate with stakeholders in the municipality for the inner roads construction. We all have to come on board irrespective of political affiliation."

The New Atuabo-Bogoso Junction bypass represents a tangible step towards easing traffic woes and fostering local economic activity, driven by Gold Fields' community investment and embraced by local political leadership committed to broader infrastructure development.

Source: Nana Esi Brew Monney

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