The Paa Grant Roundabout in Takoradi is named after one of Ghana’s founding fathers; George Paa Grant, the timber merchant from Western Region who paid for Dr Kwame Nkrumah to travel down to Ghana from abroad to lead Ghana’s fight to independence.

Today, a place that bears his name has been abandoned by the government, and deeper potholes have taken over the area, causing huge traffic during rush hours in Takoradi.

The Roundabout is a very critical route in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis - connecting most parts of the city to the Takoradi Harbour, two important hospitals; the GHAPOHA and European hospitals, the ECG regional office, GNPC Operational Headquarters, GHACEM and the main market centre, among several other important places.

The sad story, however, is that it is a stretch riddled with potholes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2A4S9kUvDU

Many residents do ask the question “How do we as a country intend to honour his memory?” Well, from how potholes have taken over the entire place, one can conclude that we’ve decided to honour him with potholes.

This is because several potholes surround the roundabout. In one’s estimation, it can be concluded that in Ghana’s eyes, the best way to honour someone who did his best for this country, is for potholes to be allowed to develop around an important place named after him.

Anyone who knows the place will know that some of the potholes once began as small lacerations on the road, but they were ignored for several months, and have therefore widened into a huge ‘manholes’. One of the potholes there can best be described as a KING SIZE, capable of accommodating more than two adults. There is even one that has deepened and collects so much when it rains that looks more like a swimming pool.

These potholes have become a major talking point in the city for the past three years, but the situation has not changed. Charles Mintaba, a social commentator in the Western Region, says the potholes keep developing at every corner of the roundabout. 

“The potholes have been developed in the southern part of the roundabout and the northern part of the roundabout has started developing potholes. So we’re waiting for the eastern part of the roundabout to develop, and I think that it is a serious thing that we ought to look at. Unfortunately, we can’t tie the reason why we can’t do this road to Russia and Ukraine war and COVID. We can only tie it to the fact that it is a critical road that needs to be maintained.

“As we stand here, if you want to go to any part of the city, you can go, because all roads coming from any part of the city link up to the Paa Grant. That is why I think it is so critical that we cannot waste time. We have to fix this roundabout, concerning the critical nature of it,” Charles Mintaba lamented.

He is wondering whether this could have been the best way to honour the man if he were to be alive today. He reveals there are persons who would wish to use this route only to pay homage to a son of the region who contributed immensely to the fight that liberated the nation from the hands of colonialism but cannot because of the nature of the place.

“So let’s assume that that Paa Grant was seated here alive, will we allow this road to deteriorate to this state? There are people who would not want to pass here just because of the state of the road. So if we named this place after Paa Grant, and the actions and inactions of city authorities have gotten to a state that we cannot work on it, and people who would have passed here to honour Paa Grant are not passing here, what have we done to him? And for me, as a resident, that is what goes through my mind.

“We stood here for the past one hour and you saw the number of big trucks that had to be towed from here. So it has gotten to a state that when it rains and you’re in town, you have to decide to change your route because if you don’t take time, you will be locked up in town,” he stated.

Charles Mintaba believes it will not cost much for the portion to be reconstructed, and wonders why authorities have allowed the Paa Grant Roundabout to deteriorate to the level it is currently.

“I don’t think there are some individuals who cannot afford the money needed to fix this road, but we’re in a country that when you have your money and want to fix a road, they will tell you that city authorities would have to do it. So what is happening now that city authorities cannot fix this portion of the road, knowing the critical nature of this portion of the road? The critical nature of this road must not be allowed to develop pot wells around this place especially because we named it after such a prominent individual of Ghana,” he said angrily.

Driver John, who supplies mineral water in the metropolis, says it is sad that all the officials of the region use the stretch but have abandoned it.

“We have complained about the portholes here several times, but nothing is being done about it. If some of my load had not been bought, all of it would have poured onto the road now. Meanwhile, we pay tax. The regional minister, the MPs and other big officials use this road daily but they seem not to care. We are really suffering buying spare parts, especially our ball joints”, he said leaning on the door of his truck to make his point.

To protect their vehicles from slumping into potholes, some drivers have now resorted to climbing into the perimeter of the roundabout, destroying the curbs there.

The drivers want city authorities to show more concern.

“We are really suffering, when you move a little your car scratches the surface of the road because of the potholes. Last time, my friend burst his sump here. The road should be fixed for us because we are really suffering,” said one driver.

The state of the Paa Grant roundabout must make us bow our heads in shame, and wonder how we could have allowed such a place to deteriorate like that. It is a perfect fit for the description; GHPotholes exhibition.

We can even go further to say GHPotholes of shame As to when this important portion of roads in the Sekondi-Takoradi city will be fixed, it remains a mysterious question waiting to be answered by the people who have been clothed with the powers to do so. But will it ever happen? Time can only be one’s only hope.