Posted by William Osei Prempeh 92 0 comments

The newly appointed Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways has on Monday, 21st August, 2023, paid a familiarization visit to the Management and Directors of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA).

Hon. Thomas Mbomba, who was in the company of the Chief Director of the Roads Ministry, was welcomed by the Chief Executive, his Deputies, Divisional Heads, and Regional Highway Directors.

In his opening remarks, Ing. Christian Nti, on behalf of Management, expressed his delight in meeting the Hon. Deputy Minister and as well, have an interaction with him.

Alhaji Dr. Abass Awolu, the Chief Director of MRH, in his comment, briefed Management on the appointment of the Hon. Deputy Minister and the need for him to get abreast and also understand the operations of GHA, hence, the visit.

On his part, Hon. Thomas Mbomba, indicated that the operations of the Authority are new to him and as a result, he is prepared to listen to all briefings and also operate with an open-door policy in order to understand the dos and don’ts of the Authority’s operations for the purpose of improving work efficiency.

Giving a brief overview of the operations of GHA, Ing. Eric Odosu, Director of Planning, GHA, explained the core mandate of the Authority, its mission, and vision, and talked about completed and ongoing projects as well as the challenges faced by the Authority in an effort in delivering its core mandate of providing quality and accessible truck roads. He noted that better Roads were important for improving the socio-economic lives of people and the movement of goods. It is for this reason that he used the occasion to petition the Hon. Deputy Minister to use his esteemed office and network to lobby resources in order to complement the Authority’s efforts in improving Road conditions and safety on our Roads.

The Deputy Minster, in his remarks after the presentation, applauded the Authority for the great feat chalked and also promised the Authority of his support to help mobilize funds, lobby donors, and the Ministry of Finance to help improve the financial standing of GHA. He thanked management for the honour done him and implored all to set aside diplomacy and focus on improving road works.

A cross-section of Management, Divisional Heads, and Regional Highway Directors at the meeting.

The Chief Executive, in his concluding remarks, also revealed insufficient budget as a prime constraint of routine maintenance – desilting of gutters, pothole patching among other maintenance works. He thanked the Hon. Deputy Minister and Chief Director for their visit and assured them of the Authority’s unflinching support in raising the image of the Roads Ministry.