The Upper West Regional Youth Parliament has held an advocacy press conference to drum home some pressing developmental issues in the Upper West Region.
The youth demands swift works on the Wa-Tumu-Bolgatanga road and resumption of works on the Wa affordable housing project.
The Youth Parliament in the address on Thursday, October 28, 2021 in Wa by its Speaker, Mr James Baba Anabiga, has lamented that the Upper West Region after 38 years of its establishment cannot boast of a befitting road linking to its parent region, the Upper East District.
It blamed successive governments for only using the road as campaign promise but never living to the promise.
“While some other regions are currently calling for the rehabilitation of their tarred roads that went bad, the Upper West Region is yet to see a fully constructed tarred road for easy access to the Upper East Region despite countless campaign promises by successive governments”, the youth lamented.
The youth contended that contractors have been on the Wa-Tumu-Bolgatanga stretch in times past as they are now, and the road has since still not been completed, therefore calling for “a total hundred percent completed road for the people of the Upper West Region.”
It said the deplorable nature of the road has totally slowed down economic activities especially inability of farmers in the Sissala East and West Districts to transport farm produce for better sales in Wa and beyond.
The Youth Parliament, through its developmental advocacy move dubbed "Leaving No Stone Unturned for the Development of the Region", has also called for work to resume on the abandoned affordable housing project whose sod was cut in 2007 by then Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Hackman Owusu Agyenang.
“Project site visits have observed that the project has been abandoned for years at substructure and partly structure levels”, the youth fact-proved.
The youth advocacy group cited political dishonesty and leadership non-commitment as contributory factors for the abandonment of the project.
The Parliament suggested the setting up tollbooths and weighing points on the Nyoli-Wa-Babile-Lawra-Nandom road to mobilize revenue for road maintenance.
To prolong the life spans of roads in the country, the youth suggested, “Road engineers in designing roads should incorporate concrete roads in sections of the roads such as 100 metres to every barrier and traffic lights and as well about 2o metres to every speed tables.”
The Youth Parliament therefore called on His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, the Rt Hon Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, the Upper Parliamentary Caucus, the Upper West Regional Minister, the Regional House of Chiefs to take necessary steps in addressing the concerns.
The concept of Youth Parliament in Ghana was established in 2010 to provide a single formalized youth structure at the district, regional and national levels for the youth to air their frustrations, deliberate on matters of importance to youth development, and hold duty bearers accountable.
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