Traders unhappy with hazardous roads in Yilo-Krobo enclave
Nkurakan (Eastern Region), Friday, December 09, 2022
Traders and residents of the Yilo-Krobo Municipality of the Eastern region are not happy with the abandoned road construction works in area.
They bemoaned the hazardous state of their roads in recent years is negatively affecting the progress of the Asesewa, Klo-Agogo and Nkurakan major markets and subsequently affecting the socioeconomic livelihood of people of the Yilo-Krobo enclave.
In a random interview by thefourlens.com on Thursday, drivers, market women, businessmen, students and residents on the stretch of Nkurakan, Klo-Agogo, Otekporlu, Huhunya and Asesewa expressed worries about the dusty road networks affecting their health and businesses.
Mrs Gifty Tetteh, a business woman in the area and resident of Nkurakan observed most traders could not go to the Klo-Agogo and Asesewa markets again because of the unsafe roads.
Nkurakan is a town and twice-in-a-week major market center located very near Koforidua, about 15 minutes drive from the Eastern regional capital, but in the Yilo-Krobo Municipality.
Mrs Tetteh explained buyers from Tema, Koforidua, Accra, Adukrom, Akuapim-Mampong, Akropong, Somanya, Kpong, Atinpoku and Akosombo have stopped journeying to do trading businesses at the Asesewa and Klo-Agogo major markets because of the state of the roads in recent years.
According to her, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays are the major market days at Asesewa and Klo-Agogo, Mondays and Thursdays are the Nkurakan major market days, but buyers from afar do not go to the Asesewa and Klo-Agogo markets again.
Mrs Tetteh said “it is worrying situation that one must find a place at all cost to change his or her dress after travelling to the Klo-Agogo and Asesewa markets before you appears somehow okay to do business”.
She said the Klo-Agogo and Asesewa markets in the 1970s to late 2000s were notably the biggest and reigning markets in the Eastern region, but the recent deplorable roads in the Yilo-Krobo area has make traveling unsafe.
The entire area has been exposed to unhealthy breathing air, a situation making journeying traders to lose interest in doing businesses at the Klo-Agogo and Asesewa markets these years, she stated.
Mr. Stephen Kwabena Nyamekye Eku, a businessman and resident of Nkurakan, who is a development activist worried the area is the financial backbone and food security of the Yilo-Krobo Municipality, generating huge revenue to the Municipality everyday, but has the most terrible roads.
He explained the Nkurakan, Klo-Agogo and Asesewa markets, as well as the tourist attraction sites, such as the Boti falls, Akaa falls, the umbrella rock and others contributes significantly to the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) of the Assembly but authorities seems to look unconcern about their infrastructure development of the area.
He pleaded with the contractors working on their roads to ensure quality and speedy work is done to revamp the trading businesses in the area.
Mr. Benjamin Osieku, a driver told thefourlens.com that the road “from Koforidua-magazine-junction was graded about a year ago and is dusty throughout to Asesewa”.
He feared the situation could cause lungs disease outbreak amongst passengers, drivers and mostly local residents on that stretch because of continues inhalation.
The Assembly member of the Nkurakan electoral area, Mr. Afredi Thomas Amponsah advised the various youth groups in the area to burry all differences and come together to push for a common developmental agenda for Nkurakan.
He told thefourlens.com that the government is doing her part and he as the Assembly member is also doing all he has to do for the development of the area, therefore needed the support of all residents, particularly the youth wing.
Thefourlens.com
Writer’s email:ttchrietoph1@gmail.com
