Passengers plying Tumu-Burkina Faso stranded due to bad roads

Transportation along the Dimajan to Tumu stretch has come to a standstill after a section of the road near a bridge developed a large hole filled with water and clay, making the road almost impassable. 

The situation had left several heavy-duty vehicles stranded, causing major delays for passengers and cargo transporters. 

The disruption affected the free flow of goods to and from Tumu and Ghana’s northern neighbour, Burkina Faso, leaving passengers stranded. 

Some frustrated drivers who spoke to Ghana News Agency (GNA) appealed to the government to intervene urgently under its “Big Push” infrastructure agenda to fix the road. 

They said repairing critical portions of the road between Chuchuliga through Tumu to Wa would ease the hardship faced by road users in that enclave. 

“We are suffering here. Something urgent must be done immediately,” said one driver, Mr Oldman Issahaku, who, together with others, attempted to fill the hole using shovels and cutlasses to make the road passable. 

In a related development, more than 20 articulated trucks loaded with goods bound for Burkina Faso have also been stranded for several weeks at the Tumu Customs Border Post. 

A long queue of truckloads of goods has occupied half of the road from the border towards the township since there is no designated parking lot. 

According to the drivers, the Burkinabe authorities had refused entry of the trucks because they exceeded the country’s approved length limit of the trucks. 

“They told us that articulated trucks should not be longer than 40 feet, but most of our trucks are above that,” Alhaji Abu a driver explained. 

Owners of the goods have been asked to send smaller vehicles from Burkina Faso to offload and transport their items across the border. 

However, the delay has left many drivers frustrated, with some lamenting that their employers are not answering calls while some have run out of money waiting at the border. 

“We have been here in Tumu for almost a month, feeding all day and doing nothing, if these goods had been received some of us would have gone and come but look at us, sitting and eating, some of the goods may even be affected due to rain and the sun,” a truck driver lamented. 

The drivers are therefore appealing to the goods owners and relevant authorities to intervene swiftly to prevent further losses and restore the smooth movement of goods between Ghana and Burkina Faso. 

Meanwhile, vehicles that met the required truck size were able to transport their goods across to Burkina Faso. 

The Customs, Excise and Preventive Service office confirmed the situation as true to the GNA and were assisting the drivers to get their transit goods across safely. 

Source: GNA