Residents of Anum-Boso in the Eastern Region of Ghana have descended on President Akuffo-Addo to come to the aid of the town to fix the deplorable state of their road. Mr. Daniel Nseboah Amoah, a Youth Activist in the area stated that where there are no good roads, distance does not just become barrier but a life-long threat of transportation.
Speaking on the history of Anum-Boso, he adverted that the people of Anum and Boso are Guans who are settling around the Volta Lake in the Asuogyaman District of Ghana. The Asuogyaman was created under the local government act LI 1431 in 1988 after its separation from the Kaoga District whose capital was Somanya.
The Asuogyaman District has been divided into six area councils in line with the provisions of the Local Government Act 467 (1993). These area councils are: Anum, Boso, Frankadua/Apeguso, Atimpoku, Gyakiti and Akosombo. The predominant occupation in Asuogyaman District includes fish farming, trading and crop farming. The Anum-Boso road links the Asikuma and Peki junctions to Anum, Boso, Kpalime and the Dzermeni market, a large market at the banks of the Volta Lake serving the Southern part of Ghana with the supply of fish products and others.
The Anum-Boso geographical area houses the prestigious Anum Rural Bank and schools like Anum Presbyterian Senior High School and Boso Senior High Technical School, and other great institutions in the area which have produced many top talents to the world of work and academia.
He stressed that, second cycle schools in Anum and Boso are preferable choices of most parents in Accra, Tema, Ashaiman and other parts of the country for their wards due to the discipline, excellent academic performance and a cool breeze weather in the neighborhood which is good for learning.
“But on my visit to Boso Senior High Technical School with others on our way, we realized that the Bitumen on the road from Asebeng to Boso has been removed to be reconstructed by the government and has been left to the mercy of the weather till now and its condition keeps getting worse”.
The youths recounted that the government started fixing the already poor nature of the road around October 2020 when the country was getting ready for General Elections in December 2020 with the promise of immediate reconstruction but never completed. This means the reconstruction of the road was just a political campaign promise without any fulfillment of it.
The people of Anum and Boso have been crying for the government and investors to open up businesses in the area to create employment hence reducing rural-urban migration. However, with the current state of the road, many investors would be inhibited from even visiting the Town not to think of investing there.
The general patronage of public transport on the Anum and Boso road has reduced drastically due to the porous nature of the road.
Indigenes have to sit sometimes at the back of a motorcycle from Anum to Asikuma junction before getting a public transport to Accra. Bankers, clergymen, educationists and traders find difficulty travelling in and out of the Anum-Boso area to render services to the indigenes of the area. Fixing the road will alleviate the difficulty in plying the road by drivers and other commercial users.
Issues of Relevance to Planning
- The Anum-Boso road serves as the only road linking Asikuma and Peki junctions to Anum, Boso, Kpalime and the Dzermeni market, a large market at the banks of the Volta Lake serving the southern part of Ghana with the supply of fish products and others.
- The road has discouraged investors to open up businesses in the area to create employment hence reducing rural-urban migration.
- Bankers, Clergy, educationist, traders and health officials find difficulty travelling in and out of Anum-Boso area to render services to indigenes of the area.
- It has affected general patronage of public transport hence affecting transport businesses and causing unemployment.
Source: Lawrence Odoom, TCN News V1/22 (24/08/21).
