A mobile App and a call centre to provide real time information on road maintenance to the Highway authorities was yesterday launched in Accra, by the Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye.
The App, Dubbed; ‘Maintain My Road, See it, Report it, Wemaintain it,’ would afford the citizenry the opportunity to take pictures and report on road defects, accidents, burst pipes along roads, faulty traffic signals in their communities for prompt action by the ministry.
It was developed by a team of engineers led by the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation of the Ministry, Dr Francis Ahlidza.
MrAsenso-Boakye, said the Mobile App was important as it would not only help address road defects, but also improve the economy of the country.
He explained that the ministry, through the call centre and the mobile app would be able to develop a “comprehensive awareness and engagement programme” for active citizen participation in road maintenance reporting.
The minister indicated that an enhanced maintenance programme introduced at the beginning of the yearbased on three key pillars of the prioritisation of routine road maintenance activities, provision of sustainable funding for road maintenance and public ownership, and investment in road maintenance had all received positive feedbacks meaning, “We are on course.”
MrAsenso-Boakyenotedthe ministry’s commitment and resolve to strengthen“infrastructural excellence and community engagement” to achieve governments target for the road sector.
He said the implementation of both the app and call centre would be on pilot basis for five months, and would focus on trunk roads such as the Accra-Kumasi, Accra-Takoradi, Accra-Cape Coast, Accra-Tema Motorway, and five main urban Centre’s, namely, Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Tamale, and Takoradi, and would be extended to others parts of the country when resources are available.
MrAsenso-Boakyefurther assured of addressing issues that would be raised concerning road defects of all identified major trunk roads during the implementation.
Demonstrating the use of the app, DrAhlidza said the call centre, would be opened between 8: 00 a.m and 5:00 pm from Mondays to Fridays, and would be manned by trained staff who speak in English,French and other local languages such as Twi, Ga and Ewe.
He noted the app would allow the public to log on to it with the reporter’s phone number and take a picture of any road defect and report it to the Ministry, adding that the report received through the app would be forwarded to various departments of the ministry.
The application, he indicated, would provide a track record of all reports made and explained that faulty images sent would not be recognised.
The Board Chair of the Ghana Highways Authority,I.K. Mensah, urged all stakeholders, especially the Ghana Police Service, to take advantage of the innovation and report offenders of road defects to the ministry.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
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