The people of Shiari in the Nkwanta South Municipality of the Oti region are calling on the government to provide at least CHPS zone for the health needs of the community.

Residents say they would have to carry sick persons in chairs to the nearest hospital at Nkwanta, which is more than eight kilometres away.

The construction of the Nkwanta-Chilinga road to open up the area scheduled for completion in August 2020 had also stalled.

There is also no mobile phone network connectivity in the area. Residents are making a passionate appeal to government to intervene to make life better in the community.

The construction of the Nkwanta-Chilinga road, which would link Shiari to Nkwanta, had stalled. More than five kilometres had so far received bitumen.

Residents want the road fixed to alleviate their travelling challenges.

“They have started with the construction of the road but it had stalled. Just after the December 2020 elections, work stopped and the contractor has not returned to work yet. If the road construction does not reach the community then nothing has been done.”

Nana Obombo Sewura Yopowura II, the paramount chief for the Akyode traditional is also calling on government to intervene.

“As I am in Shiari now, nobody can access me. We normally have our meetings on Sunday and I would have to climb and descend the mountain as many as possible to read messages or make calls. Another major challenge in the area is the non-availability of any health facility and mobile telephone connectivity.

“We need a health facility here. When someone is sick, we would have to carry the person in a chair to the hospital at Nkwanta. We really need a health post here.” We also do not have any mobile network connectivity in this area. We would have to climb the mountain to a spot before we can make calls. It is not helping us; we are also part of Ghana. We are appealing to government for these things so that when we need something we can place a call for it.

"The area has tourism potential yet to be fully tapped into. This waterfall, though hard to reach would be of immense economic benefit to the people when developed to attract tourists," he added