We all know roads are important, they connect us to our friends, community, work, and play. They allow us to discover local hidden gems within a few mile-radius and explore exciting new destinations thousands of miles away.
It is clear that roads are a necessity for living in the modern age. The state of every road, the surface condition, and structural integrity have great impacts on vehicles, drivers, and the community at large.
What is happening between Chiraa and Sunyani is terrible and requires urgent positive action by the people to wake our leaders up from their slumber to lessen the pain and agony we have been subjected to over the past few years.
It is unthinkable that a major road that links two regional capitals i.e Sunyani and Techiman can deteriorate to such deplorable levels under the watch of those who should know better.
The importance of this road is so enormous given the major economic activities which take place between Sunyani and Techiman.
Chiraa as a town plays a significant role in the Sunyani West Municipality. It has the second-largest population in the municipality. It has the biggest weekly market and attracts a large number of people to the town on Tuesdays. Chiraa fetches the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly more revenue than any other town in the municipality. It is the hub of the sand, stone, and quarry industry in the region and the number of heavy-duty vehicles which ply the road on daily basis is simply immeasurable.
The economic importance of Techiman on the other hand, cannot be enumerated in this write-up. It abounds for us all. This road is shamefully used by all the players whose inertia has resulted in the current state of the road. You name them.
Ghana is a developing nation, there is a constant demand for good-quality infrastructure, transportation, and services. But in the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty, courtesy Bob Marley. In spite of the numerous resource at the disposal of the country coupled with the huge loans that we have been saddled with, if we have not been able to address our infrastructural needs in totality at least it should be above average.
Having a poor road system makes it more difficult for people to move from one place to the other and especially more expensive for farmers to bring their produce to the marketing centers in our case.
Bad roads adversely affect people in several other ways and this makes them poorer. Building and repairing roads make a powerful impact on the lives of the people in rural areas. Many small towns in Ghana are poor and many young people are being driven to go to large towns to find jobs.
Has it been lost on our leaders that road development brings social, cultural, and economic changes in the lives of the people in terms of providing connectivity between people and places and thus helping to reduce the poverty as well as direct market access to the rural produce.?
It is a fact that if roads in an area are well-developed and properly maintained, travel time is reduced, and access to local markets, workplaces, educational institutions, and medical and health services is increased.
Look at the senseless damage to vehicles plying the Sunyani Chiraa Techiman road. Have the people who use that road committed any crime against the state to be subjected to that inhumane treatment?
Should we conclude that the Sunyani West Municipality is a failed municipality in terms of roads? Come to think of it, the whole municipality faces the problem of poor roads. The road leading to Odumase the municipal capital is poor, Odumase town roads are poor, Odumase Kwatire Adantia road is worse, and Bofourkrom and other small settlements, the least said about them the better. The state of Chiraa road now is the worse in living memory. The road has never deteriorated to the current level before.
The only good road in the Sunyani West Municipality is the Kumasi Dormaa Ahenkro Highway which passes through Fiapre to Nsoatre constructed under PNDC several decades ago.
So for how long shall the people of Chiraa be taken for a ride? Enough of the promises and empty rhetoric we need action.
In conclusion, there is growing evidence of anger, dissatisfaction and frustration among the people of Chiraa, and as the youth of the town we cannot ignore their justified concerns as they see clear attempts to take them for a ride. If we do not take care, there may come a time when we will not be able to contain the anger and frustration of our people. We urge the government, especially the Bono Regional Co-ordinating Council and the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly to grant audience to these genuine concerns we have expressed here for the Chiraa people to feel a sense of belongings in the municipality. As it is, we feel too marginalized, to say the least. We will however continue to play our part to ensure that the municipality, built on the solid rock of sacrifice of the people of the area, especially Chiraa, survives till eternity
Joseph Opoku Kyeremeh
Chiraa-Bono Region
18th October 2022
