Basic road infrastructure connecting Twifo Bonsaho to other parts of the country is virtually non-existent.

The small town in the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District is one of the hard-to-reach communities in the Central Region, literally.

A journey of 45 minutes from Ateiku grew longer as an immotorable road which can only pass for a footpath, forced the JoyNews team to use a two-hour detour through the neighbouring town, Appiasuman.

Dusty, pothole-ridden paths are what carpeted the way through to the transit point in Appiasuman after which the ride in the 4-wheel drive must be curtailed.

The rest of the journey can only be executed either on foot or by a motorcycle. The host of JoyNews’ rural development programme, ‘My Community’, Seyram Abla De-Souza opts for the latter.

Despite this choice, the deplorable nature of a bridge over a river connecting Appiasuman to Bonsaho posed another hurdle to the team. The facility is a make-shift structure comprising pieces of wood fastened on both flanks by two huge tree trunks assembled by community members to help their commute.

This weak bridge, according to residents, poses a huge impediment, especially on market days.

A resident said, “On Tuesdays, the market women find it very difficult to get to the market centre. They have to pack their goods at the back of the river which means no money from potential patrons,” he explained adding that the situation worsens when there are floods.

Another motorcycle rider added that: “On my way to carry a sick lady as part of my ‘Okada’ activities, I fell into the river while attempting to cross the deplorable bridge over there. I was only lucky because there were people around who helped me out of the river.”

This situation, coupled with the poor road networks and other basic amenities, has left indigenes questioning their eligibility to access the national cake.

“I think we are not part of Ghana. Every election year, political parties promise to improve our road network when they secure power, but they don’t help us,” another lamented.

Others have also sustained various degrees of injury using the bridge.

A resident sustained wounds trying to cross the deplorable bridge two weeks ago

Among all of these encounters, the rest of the journey is made on foot.

The predominantly farming profession of indigenes in Bonsaho and its adjoining communities makes it a hub for agricultural produce such as cocoa, orange, plantain, yam among others.

Most of the harvest goes waste due to terrible feeder roads but residents want the government’s intervention to save the food basket.

Finally, the team arrives at their destination, Bonsaho marking the end of a back-breaking struggle to a community, cut off from national development.

Until this deprived area catches the attention of government, residents will continue to wallow in the hope that their much-touted decentralisation agenda does not fall off a bridge on its way to this little town in the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District of the Central Region. 

The next episode of My Community is set to highlight the socio-economic challenges faced in Bonsaho.

Your rural development-driven programme, My Community airs every Sunday at 6:30 pm on JoyNews via the Digital Terrestrial platform, MultiTV, on DSTV channel 421, GOtv channel 144 and on YouTube via Myjoyonline.com.

Watch full video here: