The Member of Parliament for Upper West Akim, Emmanuel Drah, has extended sincere gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama following the commencement of works on the Asuokaw Bridge.
He also expressed deep appreciation to Rainbow Radio for its relentless, impactful journalism in shedding light on the community’s plight.
Speaking in an interview on Rainbow Radio’s flagship news programme, Nyankonton Mu Nsem, Hon. Drah emphasised that taking on this critical intervention aligns directly with President Mahama’s Resetting Agenda, an initiative aimed at fixing urgent infrastructural deficits and raising living standards across rural communities.
The lawmaker explained that fixing the crossing will permanently alleviate the severe hardship endured by commuters, restore seamless mobility, and boost commercial activities within the surrounding settlements.
He noted that the news outlet’s consistent advocacy and persistent reporting on the deplorable state of the Asuokaw Bridge were instrumental in driving the necessary official response.
Without Rainbow Radio’s crucial intervention, he added, the dangerous crossing would have remained a life-threatening death trap for residents.
However, the MP expressed dissatisfaction regarding what he described as misinformation surrounding the project after Government Communications Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, posted an update on the progress of work on his Facebook page.
According to the MP, he should have been consulted on the project given his consistent fight to have it repaired.
He also expressed frustration over failed attempts to engage the contractor directly.
He said, “I want to first express my gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama for delivering on his promise to have the bridge fixed. The second gratitude I want to express goes to Rainbow Radio for the consistent advocacy and persistent reporting on the deplorable state of the Asuokaw Bridge. These actions were instrumental in driving the necessary official response. Without Rainbow Radio’s crucial intervention, the dangerous crossing would have remained a life-threatening death trap for residents. I had chased after this project but I was ignored, but the efforts of Rainbow Radio have yielded positive results.”
He continued, “I want to, however, express my disappointment in the contractor. I have made several efforts to meet him. I have been there with the Director of Feeder Roads Mr Banini as part of my monitoring efforts. Some of these contractors usually don’t want to engage the MPs or politicians because they think we were not the ones who awarded the contracts. I have not been able to get in touch with the contractor despite the several visits I have made to the project site.”
He added, “I have also seen some officials post about the progress of work on their social media pages. At least, I expected that some of these people would have contacted and asked me about the project, considering how I pushed to have it done. Some of the information out there is not accurate, but because we are on the same page about the project, I will continue my monitoring and ensure the project is completed.”
Hon. Drah confirmed that the contractor is currently on site and has resumed work, but warned that if the project is not completed by December 2026, the contractor will incur additional costs.
He advised the contractor to speed up operations to meet the deadline.
In a related development, residents and road users across Upper West Akim can finally heave a sigh of relief after the contract was officially awarded for work to begin on the long-abandoned River Oku rehabilitation project.
Hon. Drah noted that for several years, the overflowing River Oku has posed a major nightmare for the local populace, particularly throughout the rainy season.
Deluges regularly cause the river to burst its banks, completely cutting off access and leaving motorists, traders, schoolchildren, and pedestrians stranded under hazardous conditions.
He explained that in March 2025, he initiated steps to fix the bridge after engaging the Ghana Hydrological Authority.
By 2026, the government directed the Finance Ministry to allocate funds for emergency response activities, earmarking selected communities to benefit from these interventions.
He noted that these preliminary actions to address the structure were already underway well before the contract for the 120-metre reinforced bridge was officially awarded.
Currently, a 240-metre reinforced drain project is in progress, with completion anticipated within three months. Hon. Drah assured constituents that full funding for the project has already been secured and made available, while calling for continuous, constructive collaboration between traditional authorities, local leaders, engineers, contractors, and community members to ensure the seamless execution and long-term durability of the infrastructure.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
