Popular Ghanaian rapper, Michael Owusu Addo popularly known as Sarkodie, has waded into the ‘Fix Tema Motorway’ campaign calling for it to be done now.
The Tema Motorway, which used to be one of the best roads in terms of quality in the country is currently in a terrible state leading to several accidents.
A significant portion of the road is riddled with potholes that have evolved over time into death traps.
For drivers who cannot manoeuvre the rough sections of the road, the consequences range from losing balance to experiencing damage to vital parts of their vehicles.
Sarkodie, who grew up and spent most part of his early life in Tema has indicated that it is “About time” the road is fixed to salvage lives from being lost.
In a Twitter post on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, the rapper wrote, “About time #FixtTheTemaMotorway.”
Sarkodie was reacting to a post by a social media account that goes by the name “Ghana Mu Nsem” calling on him to add his voice to the ‘Fixthemotorway’ campaign to prompt the government to come to their aid.
“Landlord @sarkodie you have always had the interest of Tema at heart since day one. This is the state of the motorway and Ghanaians are dying each day because of this situation. Help us push our leaders to #FixTheMotorway now please,” the tweet read.
About time #FixTheTemaMotorway https://t.co/3cdti9RiEf
— Sarkodie (@sarkodie) September 6, 2023
Background
The Accra-Tema motorway, built in 1965 to link the harbour city to Accra, has faithfully served Ghanaians from all walks of life over the years. However, the current state of the highway is one of total deterioration.
A significant portion of the road is riddled with potholes that have evolved over time into death traps.
For drivers who cannot manoeuvre the rough sections of the road, the consequences range from losing balance to experiencing damage to vital parts of their vehicles.
Those who manage to swerve the potholes often find themselves veering off the road, leaving them in a traumatized state.
Frustrated citizens have taken to Twitter to voice their concerns and have called on the government to address the dire condition of the road. However, the visible efforts thus far have been limited to applying thick layers of black bitumen mixed with gravel to cover the potholes. Unfortunately, after heavy rainfall, these patched areas become deeply hollow, resulting in a bumpy and hazardous ride for drivers.
In the first half of 2022, a tragic incident occurred when a man attempted to swerve a pothole on this deplorable highway while en route to pick up his children from school.
The following morning, after the accident was reported, a quick fix of gravel and bitumen were used to patch the spot where the incident had occurred. Sadly, his journey home to reunite with his family turned into a hospital admission due to the terrible state of the motorway.
Despite the consistent pleas and rants from commuters to fix the motorway, there appears to be a significant level of nonchalance from both the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the government.
The situation is exacerbated at night, as not a single streetlight along the highway provides illumination for drivers. This forces them to squint in order to focus on the road, adding to the hazards.
For several months now, driving on the motorway has become a perilous exercise of memorizing pothole locations in order to survive a ten to fifteen-minute ride.
Commuters traveling from Tema to Accra on a typical weekday are resigned to spending a minimum of an hour and thirty minutes on the road from the Abbatoir section of the road to the Manet Junction area.
Those who set off after 3 p.m. often encounter a bumpy ride that slows down traffic, leading to congestion lasting from the late afternoon until around 8:30 p.m.
The hashtag #FixTheMotorway is not merely an expression of concern but a cry of anguish. Ghanaians have lost their lives on this very stretch due to its deplorable condition.
