According to the nation’s vice president Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the government has begun making plans in line with the proposal issued by the Ghana Charismatic Bishops to adopt the use of concrete rather than asphalt in road construction across the nation.
Bawumia made this known while speaking at a Good Friday Miracle service at Lighthouse Chapel held at the Independence Square. The Ghana Charismatic Bishop as headed by Lighthouse Chapel’s presiding bishop Dag Heward-Mills issued the proposal in March 2017, urging the government to increase road tolls and use the proceeds to improve the bad road situation in the country. The road construction proposal was one of the 4 key proposals the body issued for national development.
In the proposal, the Charismatic Bishop’s Conference indicated that roads built with concrete lasted way longer compared to those built with asphalt, citing the Accra-Tema Motorway as a good example.
They also noted that the use of concrete in addition to being more durable would help the nation utilize its own natural resources as concrete is readily available in Ghana as opposed to the foreign-produced asphalt. Also, it would help patronize local labour as every typical mason in Ghana is conversant with concrete contrary to the foreign expertise required to use asphalt.
Vice President Bawumia who couldn’t agree more with the proposal described it as “pure wisdom.” He revealed that upon receiving the proposal, he conferred with his president Nana Akufo-Addo who immediately ordered a comparative and cost analysis be carried out by the Ministry of Roads.
Dr. Bawumia went ahead to reveal Road ministry’s analysis outcome saying: “I am glad to announce to you that when we did the costing we realized a kilometer of concrete road will cost $3.8 million and that of asphalt will cost $2.8 million but the concrete road will last for 40 years while the asphalt will last for only ten years.”
“So $3.8 million for 4o years and 2.8 for 10 years – the economics is very simple. So we are very excited and with the help of the Roads Ministry very soon we should be able to announce the new transformation in our road construction in Ghana.”
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Concurring on the subject of local resource and talent utilization, he said: “We will consider doing this and it will be transformational because as for laying concrete, we can all do it in Ghana. You don’t need to get anybody to come and lay concrete for you. Any mason from any village can come and lay the concrete and go on.”
A Muslim by religion, Dr Bawumia urged his fellow Ghana citizens to be patriotic enough to make sacrifices for the upliftment of the nation just like Jesus Christ did, quoting John 15:13: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
He said: “If we call make little sacrifices for our country like Jesus did for mankind, we will make Ghana a better place – and in the same way Christ went into the grave and rose again the third day, no matter how low Ghana has fallen we can rise again if we make sacrifices.”
LCI’s Bishop Dag Heward-Mills also took to stage to implore the Ghanaian government on a number of issues including:
4. A replacement of the current JHS/SHS system with the better quality O Level and A system
The Bishop assured the vice president of continuous prayers from the church saying that the church is not supportive of a political party. He said: “we don’t support any political party but once you are in power we will support you to succeed so you can count on our support and we trust that you will succeed.”
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