President John Dramani Mahama last Friday inspected a fleet of earth-moving machinery procured for the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development’s (MLGRD’s) Tour of Hope (TOH) Project which is expected to be a channel to assist deprived communities in road construction.
The earth-moving machines, numbering over 150, were procured under an Exim Bank facility and are made up of excavators, graders, dump trucks, wheel loaders, bulldozers and service vans.
The President, in an address, was hopeful that the earth-moving machines would be used by the ministry to open up communities that have been cut off due to the bad nature of their roads, stressing the importance of roads in the development of the country.
He explained that the earth-moving machinery would be made available to the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) from three centres—Northern, Middle and Southern Plant Pools.
The President further stated that the machines would be used to support the National Sanitation Day (NSD) campaign but was quick to remind Ghanaians that the NSD also called on Ghanaians to develop attitudinal change towards waste management.
He urged users of the machinery to take advantage of the service vans attached and ensure that the machines are well maintained and do not breakdown.
The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, said the Tour of Hope Project was introduced by the ministry following reports from the countryside where chiefs and opinion leaders complained about the poor state of the roads leading to their respective communities.
Nii Lante Vanderpuye was happy that the Tour of Hope would indeed be a welcome relief for deprived MMDAs to provide services that would make life easier in various communities.
The minister however pointed out that the MLGRD was not duplicating the job schedules of the Ministry of Roads and Highways by constructing roads but was only augmenting their efforts as well as exercising their mandate to strengthen good governance.
Nii Lante Vanderpuye also disclosed that the technical staff attached to the Project by the manufacturers, German Equipment and Machinery Company, would provide training for local engineers.
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