Life for residents and workers along the Adentan–Dodowa Road was upended in 2024. A routine upgrade scheduled to take three long years has left the community covered in dust and ha
The report indicates that life for residents and workers along the Adentan–Dodowa Road was upended in 2024. A routine upgrade scheduled to take three long years has left the community covered in dust and harmful pollutants, putting thousands of lives here at risk.
It further notes that the project stalled early on and now experts say the failure to pay the contractor on time has led to delays that may mean this misery continues for the community even longer.
The project is just one of many roadworks under the government’s “Big Push” infrastructure development program across the country that is going on longer than was promised. Delays, often caused by missed government payments to contractors, are leaving millions of Ghanaians exposed to increase risk of deadly diseases linked to air pollution such as asthma, heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
“Here in Ghana we don’t implement engineering projects well, especially government of Ghana-funded projects,” stated Joseph Odei, a fellow of the Ghana Institution of Engineers. He stated poor oversight, corruption are among the reasons projects are delayed. “They delay paying contractors, so they face challenges and vacate the project.”
The 22-kilometre Adentan–Dodowa dual carriageway stretches from the Adentan Barrier through Katamanso, Oyibi and Gbortsui to the Dodowa Hospital Junction. The project is expected to ease traffic congestion between the Greater Accra, Eastern and Volta regions while improving road safety and reducing travel time. Experts agree it would be a boost to economic activity in the region.
The contract was awarded in March 2024 to experienced Ghanaian company Oswal Investments, under a 36-month agreement. Inspecting the project in a year later, Kwame Agbodza, Minister for Roads and Highways, conceded the project had stalled, blaming the previous government’s failure to make agreed payments. Agbodza stated the Mahama government had settled outstanding payments.
Gabriel Foli, project manager for Oswald Investments, declined to comment for this story but in July he told Channel One TV that delays were caused by acquiring property, negotiating compensation for owners, and moving utility lines. But he assured the public the project was two thirds complete and on track to be finished by March 2027.
For residents, the roadworks are taking a heavy toll. People here are well aware of the dangers. Mary Adjiele, 50, says three of her grandchildren have developed severe coughs accompanied by high fevers since the work began. The family has been forced to spend much of their income on medical treatment at Alpha and Omega Hospital in Dodowa.
“Cough with blood,” Adjile stated in Twi. “It is small streaks or drops of bright red blood that come with mucus from three of my grandchildren. The money we use for our business and family upkeep is now going into hospital bills.”
Health experts warn that prolonged exposure to dust particles is dangerous. Fine particulate matter enters the bloodstream, increasing the risk of chronic illnesses, including kidney and heart diseases, diabetes and cancer.
“Road dust often has fine particles, cement, silica, and vehicle exhaust,” stated Dorcas Effah Agyeiwaa, a public health nurse at the community’s Amamorley Clinic. “When we breathe it in, it can irritate our airways and make asthma worse. That irritation can cause the blood vessels in the airways to break and lead to blood in the cough.”
Health authorities say the infrastructure development in Ghana is necessary boost to economic activity, but they say the health impacts cannot be ignored and that communities across the country should not be left to deal with the health consequences of delays that were caused by government failures.
The Ghana Health Service reports increasing cases of respiratory illnesses across the Greater Accra Region. According to Dr Robert Amesiya, Greater Accra Regional Director of Health Services, in the two years to 2023, hypertension – a disease closely linked to air pollution – was the fifth highest cause of death in Accra, claiming 200 lives and nearly forty thousand cases were reported. Asthma and cardiac cases also increased.
“We thank government for building the roads for our safety,” stated Dr Amesiya in Twi. “But the dust on the construction roads is too much.”
