Residents of Boankra in the Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti region celebrated the newly constructed inner town roads tarred for the first time with a night vigil.

Many residents until now, had sustained injuries as they fell into open drains constructed several decades ago by contractors who abandoned work.

With support from the Member of Parliament for Ejisu, and Deputy Finance Minister, John Ampotuah Kumah, new contractors, Sogood Engineering and Construction Ltd., have completed work in a record three months.

Boankra, a farming community in the Ejisu Municipality, is linked to the famous Inland Port, whose construction began about 19 years ago.

Situated on the main Kumasi-Accra road, the town roads were in a deplorable state despite its location along the highway.

Many residents, including the Assemblyman for Boankra Electoral Area, Samuel Fordjuor, fell into uncompleted open drainage.

“One woman who fell into the drains is bedridden now. I am also a victim. I fell into the open drain while on my way to switch the town’s solar light on,” says Mr. Fordjuor.

Mr. Fordjuor recounted how some women, including the onetime best farmer in the community, now bedridden, got their limbs fractured.

“There are some women who suffered the accident and are now bedridden. One of them is Madam Amma Dapaah. She was, until the accident, a leading farmer, but she’s immobile now.”

Residents, however, could not hide their joy as contractors, Sogood Engineering and Construction Ltd., moved their equipment to the town to begin tarring the inner roads on Sunday.

Led by the elated assemblyman, they helped the contractors clean the road before applying bitumen.

Residents kept vigil to welcome the newly constructed town roads as they joined Adadientem, who until now had walloped in bad roads.

“People came out to help the contractor during the application of the bitumen. We are very interested in the job they are doing,” Mr. Fordjuor said.

Seeing their town roads tarred for the first time in centuries, residents were reluctant to retire to bed to leave the new streets empty, perhaps alone. Elated residents in search of how to celebrate this gesture from their Member of Parliament, Dr. Ampontua Kumah, decided to keep vigil and also undertake a 100-meter dash competition on the new streets.

“People took part in athletic competitions on the road. There was wild jubilation as late as 10 p.m. You can’t begrudge them because they have lived with the bad roads for far too long,” says Benson Adu, who witnessed it.

A resident, Akua Adomah, a victim of the open drain debacle, threatened to go naked over the town's roads.

Whilst commending the MP of the area,  the teary Madam Adomah insisted that Boankraman would forever be grateful to Dr. John Ampontua Kumah.

“Several political promises to fix the road were unfulfilled. Our confidence in the MP went up when he brought the equipment. Boankraman is grateful. God bless him for this gesture. We will vote for him all the time to show our appreciation.”

Sogood Engineering and Construction Ltd hopes to complete construction of a 25-kilometer stretch by the end of 2023.

Chief Executive Officer, Prince Asare is optimistic that more road networks will receive facelifts to meet the demands of the people in the constituency.

Okyerekrom, Amoam-Achiase, Jamasi, Besease, and Onwe are a few of the beneficiary communities.