A protest against substandard roads organized by the Shama traditional council in the Western Region has descended into chaos after one person was hurt.
This came after the on-site police officers fired several rounds of tear gas and a warning shot.
On Monday, the protesters blocked roads leading to the district capital, including those from Shama Junction to Shama, Inchaban to Abuadzi and Aboasi, Shama Junction to Yenkrom, and others.
Nana Akosua Gyemfiaba, led the demonstration, which was attended by various chiefs and locals. They made their way from Yenkrom through Shama to the District Chief Executive (DCE) to voice their unhappiness.
The Queen mother of Nyakrom, Nana Akosua Gyamfiaba, expressed her concerns about the road’s bad status and mentioned instances in which pregnant women had miscarriages as a result of the road’s terrible condition. She claimed that because of neglect, the entire district had taken action.
“Pregnant women get miscarriages, why are you reducing our numbers? And when it is time for elections, you want numbers but you are reducing our numbers,” Nana Akosua Gyamfiaba said.
On July 3, a protest was held by the chiefs and residents of Nyankrom, Abuesi, and Shama in the Shama District in the Western Region to demand better roads. The angry protesters snarled traffic and inconvenienced workers by blocking the key thoroughfares to Nyankrom and Shama.
Even though the Region is home to significant installations like the Aboadze Thermal plant, Twyford KEDA Ceramics, and Marcopolo; a manufacturer of water closets, all of which use heavy-duty trucks that contribute to road damage, the demonstrators expressed their frustration over the unfulfilled promises to fix the roads.
As the Ghana Road Transport Union parked their cars to highlight the bad condition of the roads in the region, passengers in Shama, in the Western Region, were left stranded on Monday morning.
Traditional officials who are dissatisfied with the district’s situation joined the truckers in their protest. According to reports, the demonstration left commuters like workers, students, and other travelers stranded. Additionally, the demonstrators stopped any vehicles from traveling to any area of the district, which halted the local economy.
All of their cries for help from the government, according to Nana Akosua Gyamfiaba, have been ineffective. She claims they discussed the best course of action with the Minister of Roads, Kwesi Amoako-Atta, but nothing productive came of it.
Nothing Happening In Shama Under Current Gov’t
The Queen mother of Nyakrom further stated that the Minister informed the people that if the roads are not fixed, they have no recourse.
“The Roads Minister called and told us that if we demonstrate and the roads are not done, there is nothing we can do. We have informed the Western Region Minister, DCE, and all others about our problems but nobody is taking any action so we have decided to register our anger through demonstration. Nothing is happening in Shama under this government.”
Nana Akosua Gyamfiaba
John Amoh, the GPRTU’s Shama District Chairman, noted that his drivers had been having trouble on all the district’s highways. He further said that they will keep on protesting up until their complaints are addressed.
“All our roads are very bad. The government has been deceiving us to the extent that there is no single town in Shama with proper asphalt. We are all Ghanaians but it appears this government has abandoned us.
“They promised to construct a district hospital for us, the president came to cut sod for the project but as I speak not even a block has been laid. We will continue to demonstrate until our grievances are heard.”
John Amoh
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