News:
August 21, 2025
Deputy Minister of the Roads and Highways Ministry, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini in responding to a public interest question by the Vice chair of the Public Account Committee on the state of the Cocoa Roads disclosed that after a joint meeting with Cocoa Board it was agreed that Cocoa Board will inherit the liabilities whiles the Ministry inherits the asserts.
According to the Vice Chair of PAC some cocoa roads across the country are eighty percent complete; hence wanted to know the government’s commitment in completing the cocoa roads.
Mr. Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini noted that the whole concept of cocoa road was done with good intentions and we know how much we have benefited as a country from the produce of cocoa. “Unfortunately communities that support the production have not benefited by way of roads improvement, so the idea of giving priority to roads in those communities was a brilliant one but it faced challenges because perhaps we did not plan properly and we also over burden the idea”.
So, in their joint meeting, they agreed that cocoa board would take the liability now and road ministry would take back the asserts and plan to complete those that are at an advanced stage on new terms either with the contractors on the site or new one.
“If those on it are not willing to continue, part of the rationalisation we are doing, when we took over we went round the country to examine roads in the country and cocoa roads were part of the roads we visited and so we have portfolios of roads we want to rationalize; either terminate, or re-award. Cocoa roads would be attended to under a new regime now supervise by the road ministry”.
He emphasized that the total indebtedness they inherited at the road ministry was over twenty one billion cedis and cocoa road debt is separate from this, he informed.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com