By Jarrah Kawusu-Konte
I have been doing a lot of thinking about the ongoing development of this country under the astute and transformative leadership of President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma. In just six years you can bet he is on a good footing considering the number of roads being constructed. By the time he leaves office, hundreds of miles of wonderful roads will be constructed/rehabilitated to connect every part of this country with a RING-ROAD PLAN.
These photos show you the most recent state of the ongoing construction of the Regent-Grafton Highway which the Chinese Embassy in Freetown has promised to handover as an Independence Day gift to the Government on or before 27th April, instant. Mutabazi Sam Stewart once posted about the importance of roads
on August 31, 2011 and noted that: “Roads are an integral part of the transport system. A country’s road network should be efficient in order to maximize economic and social benefits. They play a significant role in achieving national development and contributing to the overall performance and social functioning of the community. It is acknowledged that roads enhance mobility, taking people out of isolation and therefore poverty. In China for instance, the government has popularized this belief by emphasizing that for any economy to develop, transport must start off first which will later stimulate other sectors to develop in an orderly fashion.”
Arguments for and against the construction of new roads vary from individual to individual and from country to country. New roads are seen as attracting industry and reduce unemployment rates, especially at the local level of government.
The Regent-Grafton road, for example, will (9 chances out of 10) help to open up the Eastern part of Western Area to the West-end and also make the provinces easily accessible. It will also ease the acute traffic congestion characteristic of the journey from Greater Freetown to Eastern Freetown. Thus, roads like this one will help to boost the economy by providing access to and from other parts of the city without let or hindrance.
Roads will also reduce travel time and increase reliability of road travel. For example, the Wilkinson Road (four lane), Spur Road (four lane), and now the Regent-Grafton road are all expected to reduce transport costs, enhance road safety and “half-way” as we all know what half-way means.
So let’s celebrate this new thinking that roads are not, as our detractors never stop claiming, a waste of resources, but the very first step to develop and transform the country. This is what the Chinese believe and a very good reason why they are leapfrogging others in terms of sustainable development.
