Ernest Addo, back from Afram Plains
For the past three weeks, the only pontoon, MV Akpini Princess, that plies 22 nautical-mile route river in the Kwahu Afram Plains North District in the Eastern Region and Kpando Torkor in the Kpando District in the Volta Region, has broken down, threatening the economy and food security in the area, The New Crusading GUIDE has learnt.
The New Crusading GUIDE investigations revealed that despite the monopoly that the river bus enjoys, the pontoon that does two round trips each day for six days on a twin-engine ferry has had only one engine running for past one-and-half years-aside the engine, usually imported from Europe and meticulously maintained by local mechanics developing mechanical faults often.
However, since las three weeks, the upper gear box of the other engine, which turns the propeller stopped functioning, leaving the Pontoon at the river banks with half of its parts sunk into the river.
Following the mechanical fault on the pontoon, passengers, especially women and children have resorted to travelling on the Volta lake with canoes supported by some life jackets which safety cannot be guaranteed, given that reports say there are there are lots of dangers associated with traveling on the late the rickety canoes, especially at a time there exits dangerous weather patterns.
Agordeke, a predominantly fishing community, which used to be one of the busiest commercial communities in the Kwahu Afram Plains North in the Eastern Region, is now struggling to ferry farm gate produce to meet the economic and food needs of the people.
The result is ominous, with several trucks locked up at entry and exit points from- the Kwahu Afram Plains North District in the Eastern Region and Kpando Torkor in the Kpando District in the Volta Region and vice versa respectively.
Afram Plains as a whole is a veritable breadbasket of Ghana, comparable to Ejura, Salaga, Bimbilla and Yeji or Damongo and Kpasa, notable for supplying the nation with foodstuffs such as rice and yam or cassava and plantain.
In addition, the Afram Plains produces dried and smoked fish from the Volta River – a source of delicacy that attracts indigenous caterers and matrons in charge of our hotels and tourism sector.
The Afram Plains particularly supplies the nation with the bulk of spices, processed meat and livestock as well as fruit and vegetables.
Unfortunately, in a nation where informal economy workers who are predominantly women and who are underserved in logistics, banking and insurance as well as in-transit medical relief, state enterprises that are supposed to be facilitating economic growth and food security went to sleep, leaving the pontoon poorly maintained.
As the New Crusading GUIDE was doing this story yesterday, tons of food were locked up in the Afram Plains, as haulage operators struggle to find alternative routes at costs that would be passed on the farm gate buyer, retailer and the worker and housewives who have no one to pass the cost burden onto.
VRA is one of the best state entities and state enterprises in terms of efficiency. That, is no secret. However, this act of negligence has been too much for comfort, New Crusading GUIDE learnt as frantic efforts by mechanics to engineer a solution hit a snag.
