More than 4,400 personnel have been recruited under the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) to bolster road infrastructure development across the country, according to National Coordinator Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye.

Mr Vanderpuye disclosed that a total of 4,460 staff have been engaged, one coordinator and 16 equipment operators per district, to drive the execution of the initiative aimed at addressing deteriorating roads in underserved communities.

He noted that all recruits are currently undergoing intensive training to ensure they can safely and efficiently operate road construction machinery.

“Some of the people who were handling the equipment were not sufficiently trained,” Mr Vanderpuye said. “You know, with some of the tipper trucks, you must know the level you should go.

There are so many things to learn about managing the equipment. So we have to take our time now.”

Training of regional coordinators is currently ongoing in Ada, he added, after which district-level coordinators and all other operators nationwide will receive hands-on instruction to build their technical and operational capacity.

Mr Vanderpuye further indicated that President John Dramani Mahama has committed to issuing a formal employment warrant to integrate the DRIP recruits into the local government system. This will regularise their status as staff of the district assemblies and empower them to carry out their functions sustainably.

He was speaking on Accra-based Citi FM on Friday, June 27.

The District Road Improvement Programme inherited from the previous administration is part of the government’s broader agenda to boost rural accessibility and stimulate local economic development through targeted infrastructure investment.