Agbodza protest the use of roadsto haul bauxite, manganese

The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Agbodza, has expressed concern over

the haulage of minerals such as bauxite and manganese via road, instead of rail.

Inspecting the 23 kilometer Takoradi-Agona-Nkwanta dual carriage way rehabilitation, he said “the difficulty is that trucks use roads built with the tax payer’s money instead of

rail.
Mining, the Minister indicated, is all about rail and that no country does successful mining by the use of roads.

‘We are aware some of the companies whose trucks are destroying the roads. We hardly get anything. In fact, some of the companies, as far as I am concerned, in their balance sheet, they claim to be making loses.
“The road is funded by taxpayers’ money and are we ready to see our roads deteriorated within two years after construction?  No! the Minister responded to his own questions.

According to the minister, he would be escalating discussion on trucks hauling minerals on our roads instead of using rail.

“If you are interested in hauling materials, work with your stakeholders to cart them by rail and not road. We will take that decision when we get there”.
Currently, over two hundred trucks belonging to different companies and politicians cart manganese and bauxite from Ghana Manganese Company (GMC) and Ghana Bauxite Company (GBC) in Nsuta Tarkwa and Awaso respectively, using the road every day to the Takoradi Port.
Stakeholders say they would be happy if the Minister is able to stop the haulage trucks or compel Ghana Bauxite Company and Ghana Manganese to augment government’s effort to complete the rail line.

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