Author: Awudu Ishaq
It is one thing occupying an office and another thing working to deliver on the mandate of the office.
So far, if there is one Minister of State who is working his ass off to deliver on his mandate, it is the Minister for Roads and Highways.
Hon Kwame Agbodza since the assumption of office as the Minister for Roads and Highways has pressed on into the job of providing roads for the good people of Ghana ensuring accessibility, inclusivity, comfort and convenience.
The fact remains that the loudest cry and wish from the Chiefs and Opinion leaders of Ghana in the last couple of years has always been that of bad, deplorable and unmotorable roads across the country and the need to take action to address the situation.
Listening to and hearinh this clarion cry, the NDC administration promised a scheme to cater for in addressing the canker, hence the roll out of the ‘Big Push’ Programme.
This highly ambitious project meant that the supervising Minister must be on top of the game and on top of his feet to guarantee its success.
Knowing too well the demands of the job and accepting the challenge to lead it, Hon Kwame Agbodza focuses on executing his role 24/7.
This is a Minister who devotes much of his time to field inspection of project sites to ensure that project specifications are being adhered to as well as meeting project cycles and timelines. This is meant to guarantee quality work done and value for money.
It is little wonder therefore that the Minister does not mince words on the position of government towards non-performing contractors as recently seen in the Ashanti Region through a viral video on social media.
As a professional architect himself, Hon Agbodza’s training and expertise add up to his top-notch understanding of the construction business and the performance of the various contractors.
The ‘Big Push’ which is envisaged to contribute significantly to the expected legacy of President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC needs to be given priority attention and that’s exactly what Hon Kwame Agbodza is offering.
It is never in doubt that the success or otherwise of this ‘Big Push’ Agenda would determine the outcome of the pact the NDC signed with the Ghanaian electorate in the last election.
Probably this has informed the proactivity, diligence and seriousness with which the Minister has approached the ‘Big Push’ Agenda so far.
It is therefore appropriate to commend and applaud the Minister but also important to quickly caution him not to take his eyes off for a second in order to sustain the momentum gathered so far.
The need to connect the entire country through a conscious effort of constructing and upgrading very critical roads cannot be overemphasized.
Opening up the country from South to North, and East to West would ease travel bottlenecks faced by commuters as well as ensure the transportation difficulties faced by traders, farmers and businesses are solved.
This end-goal should be the driving force to get the Minister to maintain his gaze and focus on making the ‘Big Push’ succeed.
Kudos to Hon Kwame Agbodza!!!!!
