Hundreds of residents of Asankrangwa and surrounding communities in the Wassa Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region have taken to the streets, demanding immediate action over the poor state of their roads.

Dressed in red and black attires to demonstrate their frustration, the residents marched through the community with placards carrying strong messages of anger and disappointment over what they describe as years of neglect.

The messages on the placards reflected their frustrations, reading: “We need roads, not promises,” and “Cocoa money, where are our roads?”

The residents say the situation has affected every part of their lives, from farming and transportation to access to healthcare and education.

They argue that despite the municipality’s contribution to Ghana’s cocoa economy and other natural resources, including gold and timber, residents continue to struggle with basic road infrastructure.

They recalled several promises by successive governments to improve the roads, including assurances by President John Dramani Mahama during a campaign visit to the municipality that the road challenges would be addressed.

But residents say years after those commitments, many roads remain in a deplorable state, with conditions worsening during the rainy season.

They are also unhappy with the handling of some road projects, particularly the work being undertaken by Asabea Construction on the Bawdie–Asankrangua road.

The residents say the contractor’s work has fallen short of their expectations and are calling for a change of contractor to ensure quality work and value for money.

One of the leaders of the demonstration, Alhaji Kansan Toppoh, says residents have endured years of hardship due to the poor road network despite repeated appeals.

He said the demonstration is not only about roads but also a demand for authorities to fulfil promises made to the people.

“We are only reminding the government about his promise during the campaign time. He came to Asankrangua, the Amenfi West Municipality, and promised us that if God permits and he wins the election, he will fix our roads," he said.

“For about two years now, there has been a big push contract and a budget ongoing, but our road is not part of it. Suddenly, we saw Asabea Construction on the Bawdie-to-Asankrangua road, and they are doing shoddy work. We don’t want Asabea; we don’t need him.

“A huge chunk of Ghana’s cocoa comes from this municipality. The Western Region has timber, gold, and bauxite, and we contribute to the economy, but our roads are bad from Bawdie to Manso Amenfi, Manso Amenfi to Asankrangua, and Asankrangua to Samreboi,” he added.

Residents say the bad roads have become a daily burden, with farmers struggling to transport produce and commuters spending more time and money travelling.

They are therefore calling on the government and relevant authorities to move beyond promises and fix the roads.

For the people of Wassa Amenfi West, they say the time for assurances is over; they want action.