DEGLORY GH MEDIA

DRIP takes off across regions-Bono, Bono East hope to create 2,000 jobs, reduce post-harvest losses under programme
Graphic Reporters Aug - 24 - 2024 , 07:07
The government’s District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) launched by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Accra, has taken off in earnest across the country with several districts receiving road equipment allocated as part of the programme.
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The equipment being distributed include tipper trucks, backhoes, rollers, motor graders, water tankers, six-wheel loaders, bulldozers, low beds and concrete mixers, which were procured by the government in collaboration with J. A Plant Pool to improve the road network across the country.
DRIP, an initiative of the President, is aimed at enhancing the country's road network by decentralising road infrastructure development to improve the poor road networks.
The programme is expected to create nearly 8,000 direct jobs, stimulate local economic development and reduce post-harvest losses since farmers will have improved roads to transport their farm produce to market and improve general service delivery across the country.
So far, the Bono Region with 12 districts has received 96 equipment made up of 12 tipper trucks, 12 graders, 12 backhoes, 12 water tankers, 12 rollers, six wheel loaders, three bulldozers, three low beds, and 24 concrete mixers, while the Bono East Region with 11 districts has taken delivery of 86 equipment.
The Western Region has also taken delivery of 110 road equipment, while the Upper East Region is expected to distribute a total of 117 equipment among the 15 municipal and district assemblies (MDAs), with some left in the custody of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC).
Equipment for the Upper East Region comprises 15 tipper trucks, 15 backhoes, 15 rollers, 15 motor graders, five water tankers, six-wheel loaders, three bulldozers, three low beds and 30 concrete mixers.
Though barely a month since its inception, the regions envisage leveraging DRIP to better their lot by improving livelihoods, creating employment and improving roads to farm gates among other benefits. 
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Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, with some chiefs after inspecting equipment allocated to the region under DRIP
Create 2,000 jobs
From the Bono and Bono East regions, Biiya Mukusah Ali reports from Sunyani and Techiman that the two regions have targeted to leverage the 185 road construction equipment received from the government to create a total of about 2,000 jobs and reduce post-harvest losses recorded annually.
He says the regions, noted for their high involvement in agriculture and agribusiness said they were determined to use the equipment to rehabilitate their road network and connect to farm gates and market centres to reduce post-harvest losses.
The regions also said apart from using the equipment to rehabilitate their road networks, they would create jobs for operators and their mates, engineers, mechanics, spare part dealers, drivers and artisans, among others.
Relaunch
Justina Marigold Assan, Central Regional Minister, cutting the tape to mark the commencement of the programme in Cape Coast
These came to light when the two regions separately relaunched the programme in Sunyani and Techiman to present the equipment to the various MDAs last Wednesday.
Speaking in Sunyani, the Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu-Banahene, said the presentation would help to build strong and vibrant communities in the area.
She said it would also improve the transport system, reduce frequent breakdown of vehicles and possibly reduce transport fares.
Ms Owusu-Banahene said the programme would also open up communities within the districts and increase income levels as well as the living standard of the people.
She said the region would collaborate with the Sunyani Technical University and the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Third Infantry Battalion to help in the operation and the management of the equipment.
Smooth transportation 
At Techiman, the Bono East Regional Minister, Kwasi Adu-Gyan, said the assemblies would use the equipment to rehabilitate roads to enhance the transportation of farm produce.
He explained that on some occasions, foodstuff was locked up on farms because drivers could not access the roads to transport food produce to market centres.
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Mr Adu-Gyan said it was the vision of the government to improve road networks across the country, including remote communities.
He said the region would also provide capacity building and skills development to young people to enable them to operate the equipment in the districts.
Mr Adu-Gyan urged the assemblies to ensure routine maintenance and cleanliness to prevent contamination and damage. 
Assembly plants
The acting Bono Regional DRIP Coordinator, Emmanuel Abasiya, said JA Plant Pool, in collaboration with technical universities, had targeted to complete equipment assembly plants across the 16 regions by the end of this year.
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Mr Abasiya said his outfit was also putting in the necessary measures to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with its Chinese partners and technical universities to facilitate knowledge transfer and training. 
He explained that currently, 32 Chinese engineers were in the country to support the process, ensuring that the operators were capable of maintaining the equipment independently and effectively. 
Some of the DRIP equipment in Sunyani awaiting distribution to the districts in the Bono Region
Drivers trained 
Meanwhile, Shirley Asiedu-Addo & Joana Kumi report from Cape Coast that as part of DRIP, a two-day training has been held for 600 drivers across the Central Region. 
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The programme was designed to enhance driving skills and promote best practices for vehicle maintenance, aligning with the broader goals of improving road safety and infrastructure in the region.Vehicles were also distributed to the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies. 
Addressing the participants, the Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan, stressed the importance of applying the skills and knowledge gained from the training to ensure the effective use and maintenance of the vehicles they received. 
"These vehicles are crucial assets, and they must be maintained with the highest level of care. You should treat these vehicles as you would a valuable possession, promptly addressing any issues and reporting them to the officials who provided the training," she stressed.Mrs Assan commended the President for spearheading the initiative, which she highlighted as a vital step towards improving road conditions and enhancing the overall safety and efficiency of transportation in the Central Region. 
On behalf of all the municipal chief executives in the region, the Upper Denkyira East MCE, Ebenezer Forson Appiah, expressed his gratitude to the President and the regional minister for their dedication and support. 
He acknowledged the significant efforts being made to advance development in the region and throughout Ghana saying the DRIP initiative would improve the lives of residents. 
Mr Appiah also assured the minister that a dedicated management team would be established to oversee the implementation of the training programme and ensure its continued success and effectiveness.
A driver, John Baidoo, from the Mfantsiman municipality, expressed his appreciation to the government for the initiative, highlighting the positive impact it would have on job creation in every district. 
He stated that the training programme and the provision of vehicles would not only enhance transportation but also contribute to local employment opportunities and economic growth.
Thriving country
Justina Owusu-Banahene (2nd from right), Bono Regional Minister, being assisted by Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh (left), Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East; Kwaku Agyemang-Manu (2nd from left), MP for Dormaa Central, and Emmanuel Abasiya (right), acting Bono Regional DRIP Coordinator, to relaunch DRIP in Sunyani
At the launch of the programme for (Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) at Apremdo, near Takoradi, the Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, explained that the President's vision went beyond just constructing roads. 
"DRIP is about creating a connected and thriving Ghana, where every district, no matter how remote, feels the impact of progress. This initiative would ensure the progress and prosperity of the country at the local level," he said.
He said DRIP was the largest investment ever made in the local government sector, providing nearly 1,500 equipment to MMDAs across the country. 
"Adequate preparations have been made for the maintenance and fuelling of the earth-moving equipment and to effectively resolve all the pending issues concerning the smooth implementation of the programme," he said.
He said 30 participants from each MMDA, totalling 420 would receive training on the use of the machines. 
The District Chief Executive of Mpohor in the Western Region, Ignatius Assah Mensah, lauded the government for the initiative, saying, "This will bring a total transformation in the district." He explained that the district had no tarred road until recently when the government awarded the road on contract. 
"Work has already started; there are many roads in my district which are in deplorable state, and this affects our traders because crops and other vegetables, which are supposed to be transported to the markets and other urban centres, get rotten," he said.
Touching on the importance of the equipment, he said "It will open up certain routes, make some of the roads accessible, as well as make transportation easier for all, especially our traders."
Maximum use
From the Upper East Region, Gilbert Mawuli Agbey reports from Bolgatanga that the Regional Minister, Alhaji Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, charged MDAs to ensure maximum use of the DRIP equipment for the benefit of the people. 
He stated that a major challenge confronting the region was a poor road network which the DRIP equipment had been provided to address.
He said, “I believe strongly that under the DRIP, most of the deplorable roads will be improved upon regularly to ease transportation in the region.”
Inspection
Dr Salih was speaking at a brief ceremony to inspect the first consignment of DRIP equipment for onward distribution to the 15 MDAs in the region.
He said one of the challenging issues in the region had to do with the poor state of roads, saying “I am optimistic that this equipment would lead to improvement in roads across the region.”
He stated that the government expected that the MDAs would put the equipment to use to bring relief to the people and said luckily, the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) would be available to fund the operations of the equipment towards achieving the intended purposes. 
He added that some of the equipment would be in the custody of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) so that whenever any of the MDAs needed them, they could fall on them.
Monitoring 
Dr Salih said the RCC would intensely monitor the operations of the DRIP equipment as they had been fitted with trackers so that they could solely operate in MDAs they had been allocated to. 
He gave an assurance that the equipment allocated to the region would be put to good use, saying “I wish to caution that we will not allow the MDAs to misuse the equipment”.
The regional minister said as part of the initiative, an employment avenue had been created where a total of 430 equipment operators would be employed across the MDAs in the region. 
He stressed that the operators would be taken through a comprehensive training exercise to equip them with the needed practical skills to operate the equipment. 
Further, he indicated that there would be strong collaboration between the feeder roads, urban roads departments and the works departments of the MDAs towards the improvement of the road networknetwork.