Chinese construction firm makes impact in northern Ghana

The China Jiangxi International Corporation for Economic and Technical Cooperation (CJIC) has completed the Buipe-Tamale road project, which is expected to trigger domestic and regional trade.

Tamale, the Northern Regional capital, is located 658 km north of Accra, the national capital. The 104-kilometer road, which is the only link road connecting Accra to three regions in the north, also facilitates trade activities with neighboring Burkina Faso.

The road, which is now ready to be handed over to the Ghanaian government, has traffic signs, crash barriers, and high-street.

Kang Biao, deputy Managing Director of CJIC, said the completion of the road is crucial for economic activities in the northern corridor due to its busy nature.

Averagely, more than 1,000 vehicles comprising cargo trucks and buses from Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ply the road.

Biao said before the project was constructed, the unmotorable nature of the road made travelling very difficult due to the many potholes, which often resulted in fatal accidents.

The government of Ghana contracted CJIC to build the road after securing funding from the World Bank in 2011.

"The dedicated members of the contractor managed to complete the project despite all the difficulties. The brand new road will improve the transportation capability of the trunk road substantially, tightening the bonds between the north and south and also Ghana and its neighbors," he said.