The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) has attributed the malfunctioning and lack of streetlights on the Accra-Tema Motorway to vandalism and thievery by unpatriotic citizens.
Motorists have been complaining about the absence of streetlights, which has led to frequent accidents and putting pedestrians at risk of theft while using the motorway.
On the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, July 30, Cecil Nii Obodai Wentum, Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Highway Authority, stated that some Ghanaians have been stealing streetlights, resulting in total darkness at night on that stretch.
He also noted that the unknown individuals have also been removing metal covers and underground cables connecting the streetlights, exacerbating the issue.
“Look, a number of people who I put in quote unpatriotic are destroying some of our infrastructural facilities. People deliberately go, take out these things, and destroy them, either they are stealing or taking parts. So it’s not that the streetlights are going off because they have expired and have to go off.
“I had the opportunity to speak to the media on this issue before, especially on the motorway, you wake up one day and all of a sudden, you have more than 10 or 20 streetlights on a line all gone off.
“You ask yourself how is that possible? In all these facilities they communicate amongst themselves, and there are connections. So if you plug out and cut one out, they speak, people are stealing. Not too long ago, I was on the Motorway way and was so saddened.
“Phase two of the motorway, the metal covers and the underground cable have all been cut by who? Ghanaians. These things happen deliberately, we have some unscrupulous persons in our communities,” Mr Wentum lamented.
He advocated for stringent penalties for individuals who steal streetlights and underground cables.
“Enforcement must work, we must work hand in hand and see how we can get people arrested and punished so that it will serve as a deterrent,” he opined.
Mr Wentum assured that approval has been granted for the procurement of new streetlights and revealed that the contractor is working diligently to make the stretch motorable and reduce traffic congestion significantly.
He cautioned that the structural integrity of the road is compromised, urging motorists to exercise caution and adhere to speed limits.
Additionally, the GHA Public Relations Officer expressed concerns about the impact of the government’s debt exchange programme on road infrastructure projects
“You are also aware that as a country, we have gone through some financial challenges. And this debt exchange programme has also affected a number of projects that the government started.”
“And I would want to assure the people of Ghana that, definitely we’re going to go through it and you will see most of our projects coming back, and we will see some good news,” Wentum assured.