Okpongolo

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Okpongolo

This is the road just outside my compound, which I am now becoming more and more familiar with. This road makes many people upset and leads to a bigger issue faced in Ghana. This scene is an example of unfinished government services. From what I have been told, this road was in better condition before construction began. The plan was to pave the road, using this red dirt as the base layer. Unfortunately it has been sitting like this for some time now. With dry, windy days and speeding taxis, there are frequent dust storms that can dry your eyes and get dust in your mouth and nose (not to mention stain your skin, shoes, and clothing). In an effort to control the dust, rather than just completing the road, they have laid out tires and pieces of drift wood in a way to force people to slow down. However it causes more confusion and traffic jams than it does actually minimizing the dust. This is just one of the many roads that are in poor condition. The other day there was heavy rain which ended up making this dirt road more like mud. Cars were getting stuck and tore up the road. The road had dried out by the next day, leaving the road stuck in worse condition. Many Ghanaians are not pleased with how the government begins projects and leaves them unfinished and often very unsightly. One of my professors was telling me about how a bridge near his home was experiencing the same issue, except someone was able to speak about the widespread disapproval of the incomplete bridge on a major radio station. The very next day, construction on the bridge began again. If the people pressure their government to do what needs to be done, the people of Ghana would see much improvement in their daily lives. This is especially important for Ghana because it is still a young democracy.

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