The Deputy Minister nominee for Roads and Highways, Alhassan Suhuyini has called for renewed attention to the issue of overgrown weeds along urban roads, suggesting that the government may need to push for contracts to be awarded specifically for clearing these weeds.

He specifically mentioned the clearing of overgrown weeds along urban roads, a task that was once handled by local youth groups through contracts awarded by the municipal assembly.

Speaking before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Wednesday, February 26, Mr Suhuyini  shared that during his campaigning in 2016, he worked alongside the youth, providing them with opportunities to clear overgrown weeds from roads.

"I have the experience of helping my community when I was campaigning in 2016, helping the youth because the urban roads through the municipal assembly at the time awarded these contracts to clear roads that were overgrown by these weeds," Mr Suhuyini recalled.

However, Mr Suhuyini expressed concern that for the past eight years, he has not seen similar opportunities for youth in the constituency.

"I haven’t experienced that for eight years. I have not seen youth in the constituency being given this opportunity to weed around these roads for the token that the ministry used to pay these youth groups," he said.

The Deputy Minister-designate suggested that the lack of such contracts and initiatives could be a key reason behind the worsening condition of roads in the area, particularly in relation to overgrown weeds.

"Perhaps, that is the reason why this situation has gotten out of hand," he stated, stressing the importance of revisiting these types of community driven projects.

Mr Suhuyini emphasized that one of the key steps forward could involve pushing for these contracts to be reintroduced, thereby offering the youth meaningful employment while also addressing the issue of overgrown weeds along urban roads.

"We may have to look at how to push for these contracts to be awarded for those weeds to be cleared," he concluded.

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