Fix Streetlights Before Xmas | President Orders

President John Evans Atta Mills has directed all agencies concerned with the management of street lights in the country, to ensure that all streetlights are functional before Christmas. The directive, made known to the Times newspaper yesterday by Mr., Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Information, asked the Ministry of Energy, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), together with Messrs All Afra, a private company, to take immediate measures to light up the streets in and around the capital before December 25. The directive comes after an audit of 60 roads in the capital revealed that the streetlights are not functioning as expected, with some out of order for months. He said the directive charged the agencies to collaborate more in the management of the street lights, indicating that the ministry was tasked to effectively play its supervisory role, while the ECG and AMA should collaborate with All Afra, the implementing private partner, to fix the lights for proper operation. “Those that need repairing should be repaired, and those that should be changed must be changed,” he stressed. Well lit up streets, he said, was necessary especially during the yuletide, for safe movement of motorists and pedestrians, besides helping to prevent accidents and crimes such as bag snatching and car-jacking. According to Mr. Okudzeto-Ablakwa, the President’s directive also charged the agencies to be more responsible in the management of the street lights, and called for proper maintenance culture to keep the lights functional for the benefit of the citizenry. In addition, he said, the confusion over which agency was responsible for the street light should be over with a proper Co-ordination among the agencies. The deputy minister explained that roads without street lights had been catered for in the 2011 budget, and that appropriate projects would be undertaken to provide lighting for such roads. He said roads in the other regions without proper functional streetlights would be addressed in subsequent initiatives by the sector Ministry and local government agencies. The affected roads include Achimota, the Beach road, Cantonments, Switchback, Starlet 91 Fourth Circular, Akasanoma Airport bypass, Barnes, Castle Road two, Independence Arch, Gamel Abdul Nasser, Graphic, Guggisberg Avenue, Independence Avenue, Kanda Highway, Kaneshie-Mallam, Lokko, Kojo Thompson, Castle drive and Tetteh Quarshie roads. Other are the Old Winneba, Mallam-Kasoa, Aburi, Pagan, Abbosey Okai, Rango Thorpe, Kimbu, Liberation, Liberia, Link, New Airport, Nima Highways Selwin market, Pagan, 5th Circular, Lokko, Ring Road, 28th February Derby Avenue, Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, OAU Lounge and Second Circular roads.