Story by From Yaaba Yamikeh
Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has commenced reconstruction works on the 14.9km Samahu-Pepesa road in the Prestea-Huni Valley municipality of the Western Region to help reduce travel time, maintenance cost and ensure safety of the people.
The project is estimated at Gh.c 63 million and scheduled to be executed within two years by Classic Criskten Limited, a construction firm.
According to the contractor, Mr. Francis Ali, the road will be given three levels of bitumen surfacing which is close to asphalting, to prolong its lifespan.
The contractor says he has been on site for almost a month now clearing the road and assured Gold Fields Ghana Foundation of quality work.
Sod-cutting
At the sod-cutting ceremony on Thursday witnessed by traditional and other opinion leaders in the area, Mr. Abdel Razak Yakubu, Executive Secretary of the Foundation, said more resources will be invested into the Samahu-Pepesa road to prolong its lifespan to at least ten years.
He said this will put a stop to routine maintenance works on the road, adding that the Foundation had undertaken not less than three of such maintenance works in the last few years.
“This time round, we don’t want to come back routinely maintaining the Samahu-Pepesa road to make it motorable”, he stressed.
Mr. Yakubu expressed optimism that reconstruction of the road will open the area and boost economic activities there.
He said besides Samahu and Pepesa, three other farming communities namely Tebe, Huniso and Abekoase will tremendously benefit from the reconstructed road network.
Impacting lives
He said the Foundation will continue impacting lives through execution of more Corporate Social Responsibility projects in host communities and urged the people to help achieve this vision.
The Lead Specialist for Community Relations at Gold Fields Ghana, Nana Robert Siaw, said gone are the days when the Foundation executed only basic projects like boreholes, small town water systems, classroom blocks and health facilities in host communities.
He said the Foundation sees road construction as a conduit for development and had consequently resolved to give some road networks in the host communities a face-lift, citing construction works on the Tarkwa- Damang, Damang township, Awudua junction-Awudua and UMaT-Brahabobom roads.
Nana Siaw disclosed that seventy million dollars has so far been invested in road construction in the host communities with plans to spend more.
Development plan
He indicated that after operating for thirty years, Gold Fields Ghana intends extending its contract for twenty more years and had already drawn up a 2050 development plan for the host communities.
He said the residents will still be smiling in the next twenty years because a lot of projects will be executed even in the first half of this period to make their lives more comfortable.
Mr. Robert Wisdom Cudjoe, Member of Parliament for the area who doubles as trustee of the Foundation, reiterated that no stone will be left unturned in transforming the host communities and described Gold Fields as the best thing that ever happened to the people.
The MP however said he was not happy with current state of the Awudua-Junction-Prestea Road network and appealed to the Foundation to consider expanding and tarring it to save him from constant verbal attacks by the constituents.
Dr. Matthew Kofi Ayeh, the Municipal Chief Executive, was worried that commuters spend two hours instead of 30 minutes accessing the road and appealed to Gold Fields Ghana Foundation to undertake second phase reconstruction works on the road to make it motorable.
Nana (Dr) Adarkwa Yiadom III, Gyaasehene of Apinto divisional area, said all giant projects in the divisional area, including the sports stadium, were constructed by the Foundation and commended it for the good works.
He said Gold Fields Ghana was very dear to the heart of the chiefs and pledged their unflinching support to the mining company to continue doing more.
The Gyaasehene appealed to other companies operating in the area to emulate the shining example of Gold Fields by also taking their Corporate Social Responsibilities seriously.
