Youth of Gubiou, Saam-Ni and other residents near the Saam-Ni mountains in West Mamprusi municipality in the North East Region have continued with the initiative of the former president of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to create an access road on the mountains to reduce travel hours between North East and Upper East regions.
The youth have managed to construct about two kilometers of road using manual labour, cutting through the Saam-Ni mountains from its foot to the peak and a steep slope from the Saam-Ni community to Nalerigu.
The mountain has totally blocked access to the North East Region from the Upper East Region through the North Eastern corner of Talensi District. The only community in the North East Region which is closer to the Upper East Region is the Gubiou community.
The surrounding communities have also been cut off from their own region by the mountain.
Residents in Gubiou will have to spend almost the whole day getting to communities beyond the mountains and that affects productivity and livelihoods but passing through the mountains takes about thirty minutes.
Though the makeshift road constructed by the youth helps them to travel in less time, the road still needs professional engineering interventions to make it motorable and safe.
Information available indicate that the first president of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah started some works on the road project before his overthrow in 1966, but the project has since stalled.
For now, only motorbikes, bicycles and those on foot can use the road. The motorbikes struggle to climb up to the end of the mountain due to certain uncleared huge stones that serve as obstacles on the road.
The Assembly man for the Datuko electoral area, Ayariga Mahamadu explains the rationale behind the labour intensive road construction by the Youth.
“Last year, the youth took it upon themselves to see what they could do to open the road. Most of them, are farmers under the mountain, so it’s difficult for them to even bring their food products home.
As you can see behind me, and you can see the rocks lying down, they used their effort to work on this road and then they are now appealing to government, benevolent organizations, the chiefs and all people within the Northern, the North East Region, the Upper East Region, the entire country including the MPs,” Mahamadu stated.
Mr Ayariga Mahamadu called on the government to intervene with professional expertise to make the road motorable for all.
“This is a very good project, not even for us alone, but for the entire northern sector. So, we are appealing to people to come to our aid so that we will be able to let the vision of our late president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah come to pass”, he added.
Two opinion leaders in Gubiou community expressed worry about the difficulties residents go through when traveling out from the community to the regional capital of North East Region and other areas.
“The mountain makes it difficult for us to travel to the other areas, because we have more of our families living across the mountains. Travel round the mountain drains us financially and takes more of our time especially during this farming season”, an elder to the Chief of Gubiou said.
“Our youth took it upon themselves to use local tools to create this road for us though not in good shape, to allow us cross over to the communities for business and social events”, an Imam from Saam-Ni community reiterated the call for intervention.
Residents say with a good road network on the mountains, the local economy and tourism will flourish because it will open up the area for investments as well as improving on social services.
By Tanko Mahammed Rabiu
