NYEP beneficiaries cannot fill potholes on highways-GHA Boss

The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) says beneficiaries of the road Maintenance Module under the National Youth Employment Program (NYEP) are not qualified to fill the potholes on highways.

Concerns have been raised over very deep potholes that have emerged on the roads especially highways making it dangerous for drivers especially those who travel at night as some accidents have been linked to potholes.

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Although officials of the NYEP had stated that beneficiaries of the Road Maintenance module would help work on the roads the Ghana Highway Authority says the beneficiaries lack the requisite knowledge to perform their duties.

Acting Director of Road Maintenance at the Authority, Ofori Frimpong tells Asempa News that although the NYEP beneficiaries were trained at Koforidua after they were recruited, works on some of the roads are far beyond their knowledge.

He said specific materials needed to be used on highways demand the use of sophisticated equipment which will be operated by the beneficiaries before they can work on the highways.

According to him, the beneficiaries were mostly trained to patch potholes on urban and feeder roads but not on highways which he said are mostly constructed with asphalt.

Meanwhile the Deputy Coordinator of the National Youth Employment Program (NYEP), Alhaji Alhassan Tabsoba has refuted the claims by the Ghana Highway Authorities Boss, saying beneficiaries are capable of doing the work.

Alhaji Alhassan Tabsoba said graduates from the country’s universities who were appointed regional coordinators supervised the training of the beneficiaries and therefore wondered why the GHA says they lack the knowledge to work on highways.

Story: Jerry Tsatro Mordy/Asempa News/Ghana