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President Akufo-Addo commissions School Junction to Motorway road project
On Monday, August 26, 2024, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo commissioned the highly anticipated School Junction to Motorway Road, a vital infrastructure project aimed at enhancing connectivity and fostering economic growth in Accra and beyond.
The event marked a significant milestone in the government’s ongoing efforts to improve the nation’s infrastructure and create a modern, interconnected, and prosperous Ghana.
The newly commissioned road spans six kilometers, linking School Junction through Borteyman to the Motorway, and connecting communities such as Adjiringanor, Adenta, Dodowa, and various Tema communities. This strategic connection is expected to alleviate traffic congestion, enhance economic growth, and create new opportunities for businesses and communities along the route.
In his address, President Akufo-Addo emphasized the importance of robust infrastructure as a foundation for sustainable development. “When I assumed office in January 2017, I did so with a resolute pledge to transform the infrastructure of our nation,” he stated. “Roads are the arteries through which the lifeblood of our economy flows. Today, as we unveil this essential road, we are reminded that our words were not mere rhetoric but a call to action.”
President Akufo-Addo underscored the significance of the project as more than just a transportation initiative. “The School Junction to Motorway Road serves as a crucial artery for the eastern part of Accra, linking communities and promoting the flourishing of businesses,” he said.
He noted that “It is about bridging communities, enhancing economic growth, and creating new opportunities for prosperity.”
The president also took the opportunity to highlight his government’s achievements in the infrastructure sector, noting that the project was a testament to his administration’s vision for a modern Ghana, indicating that “Under my administration, we have added an unprecedented twelve thousand, eight hundred and thirty kilometers to the national road network,” he announced. “In the Greater Accra Region alone, we have completed road projects totaling one thousand, six hundred and sixty-seven kilometers.”
President Akufo-Addo commended the Ministry of Roads and Highways, the Department of Urban Roads, and the contractors for their dedication to bringing the project to fruition. “Let it be known: the progress we are witnessing now is not the product of chance, but the result of deliberate, focused leadership and the collective effort of dedicated professionals,” he remarked.
The president also detailed a series of completed road projects in the Greater Accra Region during his tenure, including the construction of interchanges, asphalt overlays of major streets and corridors, and the rehabilitation and upgrading of various roads. These projects have significantly boosted connectivity and eased traffic congestion in the region, contributing to the overall socio-economic development of Greater Accra.
Looking ahead, President Akufo-Addo outlined several ongoing landmark projects, including the Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange Project, Ofankor–Nsawam Road Project, Tema Motorway Expansion Project, and others. He reassured Ghanaians that these projects, although temporarily halted due to the debt exchange program, would soon resume as negotiations had been successfully concluded.
“These were difficult but necessary decisions made in the national interest to safeguard our economic future.The completion of these projects remains crucial to our country’s socio-economic development,” he said.
As he concluded his speech, President Akufo-Addo called on all Ghanaians to take pride in the newly commissioned road and to work together to maintain and preserve it.
According to him, “This road is a collective achievement for our nation, and we must treat it as such – an asset that we must protect with utmost care to ensure its longevity. Let us ensure that this road fulfills its purpose for many generations to come.”
The president ended his address with a call for continued support from the Ghanaian people as the country moves forward on its transformative journey.
“In a few months, we will, once again, stand before you, seeking your mandate to continue this transformative journey.Let the success of this project serve as a reminder of what we can accomplish together when you place your trust in us,” he said.
Hundreds of street children received a special treat during the Christmas festivities as a result of a collaboration between the management of the La Beach Hotel and the Street Academy in Accra.
It was part of the Hotel’s current arrangement to provide lunch for the children of the Academy every Friday.
Courtesy that partnership, management of the La Beach Hotel feted hundreds of street children housed by the Street Academy, creating a partying moment for the children.
According to officials of the Hotel, the gesture was to let the children feel part of the festivities and not left out.
The children enjoyed delicious meals and snack after which they danced as they enjoyed the moment.
According to the Hotel officials, “the season represents one that every parent gathers their children and shower them with gifts and others to make them happy but sadly, these unfortunate children are left on their own, having no one to care for them.”
“This is an event we intend to make an annual one. Through this, we hope to put some smiles on their faces. It is not proper to leave them on their own.”
The Executive Director of the Academy, Ataa Lartey, expressed gratitude to the management of the hotel, saying that, “this has gone a long way to excite the children and make them feel part of the celebration.”
He said due to the number of children that join around this time of the year, it becomes difficult for the Academy alone to shoulder this responsibility.
“It is not easy to organise such activities alone because it draws a lot of children, that is, those in the Academy and their friends that follow them but with such cooperate supports, we are able to bring them together to share in moments like this,” he told The Spectator.
By Spectator Reporter
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A 30-year-old surrogate mother has delivered a set of quadruplets at The Walking Egg Medical and Fertility Centre at Pokuase in Accra, in a rare surrogacy success that has brought renewed attention to assisted reproductive care in Ghana.
The babies-two boys and two girls- were delivered through a caesarean section in the early hours of Tuesday at 36 weeks and weighed an average 2.5 kilograms each, a weight doctors say was healthy for a multiple pregnancy.
IUI stands for Intrauterine Insemination, a common fertility treatment where healthy sperm are collected, ‘washed’ and concentrated in a lab, and then directly inserted into a woman’s uterus around ovulation using a thin catheter to help sperm reach the egg for fertilisation, often used for unexplained infertility, cervical issues, or mild male factor infertility, and is less invasive than IVF.
Speaking to The Spectator after the surgery, the Medical Director of the Centre, Dr Nana Yaw Osei, said the pregnancy was achieved through Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and was not planned to result in multiple births.
“With IUI, you introduce prepared sperm into the uterus and have no control over how many eggs fertilized.”
“Unlike IVF, where embryos are formed outside the body and the number transferred can be controlled, this outcome was left entirely to nature,” Dr Osei explained.
He said unlike IVF which could result in multiple babies, this is “possibly the first IUI leading to quadruplets in Ghana.”
He revealed that the surrogacy arrangement was necessary because the intended mother had lost her uterus during surgery to remove fibroids, making it medically impossible for her to carry a pregnancy.
“She had no womb of her own, through no fault of hers,” Dr Osei said, adding that “Surrogacy was the only option available for her to have a biological child.”
When scans later showed that the surrogate was carrying four fetuses, the medical team considered fetal reduction, a procedure sometimes used to reduce risks in multiple pregnancies. However, the option was rejected.
“As a strong Christian, fetal reduction is abortion to me,” Dr Osei said. “After discussions with the intended parents and the surrogate, we all agreed to continue with the pregnancy.”
Despite concerns commonly associated with multiple pregnancies, Dr Osei noted that the surrogate experienced no major complications, and the delivery was smooth. Paediatric assessments conducted after birth confirmed that all four babies are healthy.
Dr Osei again indicated that surrogacy, though still widely misunderstood, is recognised under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 2020 (Act 1027).
He urged the public to engage the subject with greater understanding.
“Surrogacy is not about convenience,” he said. “It is about restoring hope to people who have lost the ability to carry a child.”
Describing the moment of delivery, he added, “I was in tears in the theatre. It reminded me why I chose this profession.”
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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