The Aveti bridge is located on Tafi Atome and Kpando of the Volta Region. The bridge is an old traditional bridge and serves three districts, Afadjato South, North Dayi and Kpando Districts.
To the local economy, it help commuters and farmers all alike to cut especially farm produce from the area to market centers in the enclave. Following its collapse a month ago, residents are faced with challenges sustaining their businesses because they will have to use alternative routes to be able to get to market centers which results in more time being spent.
According to Adzah Francis, a native of Aveti and a commercial farmer, all efforts to get authorities to address the situation have fell on death ears. He says, “they only came to close the bridge by barricading it with metals,” he told Metro News.
He says the situation has impacted negatively on them and therefore called on authorities to ensure the bridge is rehabilitated so that economic activities in the area is brought back to life.
The Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary, one major tourist attraction site in the area is bearing the brunt of the collapsed bridge as tourists find it difficult to access the popular tourist site. Managers of the site appealed to government to expedite action in addressing the situation.
Sylvester Bor, who works with the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary explained that due to the long hours tourists had to travel before getting to the sacred site, they will rather not come making the tourist site to lose revenue. “It has also affected economic activities in the area especially the Tafi Atome township itself because people cannot sell or do other commercial activities” he told Metro news.
Drivers plying Ho to Anfoega, Kpando and some other big towns are also agitating over the collapsed bridge.
Richard Sesi, a driver noted that they will have to travel additional hours to get to their various destinations and it’s not helping since all monies are spent on fuel.
A frustrated Emmanuel Sekyere also added his voice, “We are suffering!…..the government must come to our rescue. The bridge must be rehabilitated to save us,” he appealed.
By: Graham Kofi Baldwin | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
