For over a decade, the Wa-Bole-Bamboi-Wenchi-Techiman road has been met with nothing but rhetoric. Throughout the eight-year tenure of the previous NPP government, our chiefs and Members of Parliament made repeated appeals for intervention, yet little to nothing was done. Today, the highway has deteriorated further, compounding the pain of travelers, crippling business and tourism, and denying basic travel comfort to those journeying to and from the Upper West Region.
The road has become a graveyard of vehicles. Countless cars have crashed or broken down, unable to navigate the death traps created by years of wanton neglect.
During the 2024 elections, the NDC’s “Big Push” agenda to address Ghana’s road infrastructure deficit struck a chord with users of this critical transboundary highway. For many, it felt like a long-awaited remedy had finally arrived. That hope may have swayed floating voters and contributed to the NDC’s clean sweep of all 11 parliamentary seats in the Upper West Region.
Expectations were therefore high that the Wa-Bole-Techiman road would receive urgent and special attention. When the Minister for Roads and Highways announced that the road was captured under the flagship Big Push projects, we were elated. We believed our travel nightmare would soon end.
Although the contract has been awarded and the contractor is on site, there is growing anger and frustration over the slow, sluggish pace of work. While other road projects across the country progress steadily, the lack of urgency on this critical route raises serious doubts about whether the contractor can deliver satisfactorily.
Travelers to Accra and Kumasi tell stories of pain and frustration. I personally spent 23 hours on an STC bus from Wa to Accra. Others have endured journeys lasting nearly 30 hours. Some buses break down and remain stranded for days before passengers are rescued. These experiences are unpalatable.
This project is among the most impactful for the people of Upper West, yet we are deeply unhappy with how it is being handled.
Further delays will breed serious disaffection against the NDC government, especially since NDC members ourselves are leading the activism to see this road completed. Political authorities must recognize that the NDC won all 11 seats in the Upper West Region. As a stronghold of the ruling party, our voice deserves to be treated as fair, constructive feedback on governance. We have a stake in this government, and we expect to be heard.
The contractor must be engaged immediately. If these early signs of incompetence persist, he should be replaced. We will not take it lightly if other projects are completed while ours remains in this deplorable state.
It is apparent that many citizens have become self-appointed supervisors of this project. We will not tolerate sluggishness or any compromise on quality. We believe this is Upper West’s time, and the time for all who use this corridor, to feel a sense of belonging. For too long, we have been neglected as though we were lesser Ghanaians.
The silver lining is that this experience has united us. Chiefs, the media, traders, and farmers now speak with one voice: _“If the NDC government also fails to complete this road before 2028, then there is no other hope.”_
The Minister for Roads and Highways must act immediately. The President of Ghana should take a special interest in this road, as it passes through his home region en route to the Upper West. If he fails to ensure the right thing is done, history will remember him as the president who watched while his own people were treated as lesser Ghanaians.
Activists have spoken out, held meetings, and made the necessary calls. If immediate action is not seen, a mass demonstration against both the government and the contractor will follow in the not-too-distant future. All is set. Those who have ears should listen.
Denis Andaban
The Village Boy from DBI
Firigara Timothy
May 4, 2026 12:04 amBieri tump up great piece. Everything on point. Keep it up. The sky is the limit.