Editorial: Shippers/truckers incurring huge costs as Doli Bridge collapses

The Doli Bridge collapse at Bole township is affecting business activities within the Bole district of Savannah Region. It has incurred much cost for shippers who ply diverted routes.

Indeed, truck drivers who used to pass through Bole to Sawla have been banned due to collapse of the bridge as a result of a heavy downpour that lasted for about four hours on Sunday, September 17, 2023; making the main road linking Upper West Region to the south inaccessible.

The collapse has also cut-off road transportation for hundreds of heavy-duty trucks from the main highway that leads from Ghana to Burkina Faso and Mali.

Consequently, security personnel have had to be deployed at vantage points to curb any crime rate increase that might occur – while heavy-duty truck drivers sleep in the open at the mercy of Harmattan weather.

The situation has brought extra responsibility on the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) Customs Division, as they embark on route checks at the new roads to ensure goods are transited to the nearby countries and not stolen or tampered with.

Tamale Branch Manager-Ghana Shippers Authority, Mr. Fredrick Atogiyire, has expressed worry about the rate at which the little economic activity of Bole residents has been curtailed.

“It is very worrying to see haulage and heavy-duty truck drivers go through a hectic period in sending goods from Tema Harbour to nearby countries.”

If the bridge is not fixed in time, the possibilities of shippers and truck drivers diverting their routes to other countries are high – which could affect economic activities, he added.

Some truck drivers have expressed worry about the delay in fixing the bridge, and therefore appealed for government through the Road Ministry to fast-track documentation processes to ensure speedy reconstruction of the bridge to ease the stress heavy-duty truck drivers have been enduring.

The District Chief Executive for Bole, Madam Veronica Alele, has confirmed the Assembly is in touch with the Urban Roads Department to fast-track paper documentation and then award contracts for work to commence.

National Vice Chairman-Ghana Haulage and Heavy-Duty Truck Association, Mr. Abdul-Rasheed Braimah, added his voice to calls for government to help get the bridge fixed in time so shippers and truck drivers can save time and money.

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