Ghana bridge project receiving Japan loan

A loan of US$100 million will help pay for a bridge spanning the Volta River in Ghana. The loan is being provided by the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). The new bridge will be a 540m long, cable stayed structure connecting Volivo and Dofor Adidome in Ghana’s Volta Region and will form part of Ghana’s Eastern Corridor Road project. Its construction will also help improve transport and trade from Ghana and its capital, Accra, to neighbouring Togo. One existing bridge over the Volta River close to the Volta dam dates from 1957 while the Lower Volta Bridge on the N1 highway was completed in 1967. The former structure, the Adomi Bridge, had to be closed to traffic for repairs while the latter structure at Sogakope has aged poorly and is no longer able to cope with demand. The closure of the Adomi Bridge highlighted the need for the building of the new link.

The Eastern Corridor comprises National Trunk Road No2 in the trunk road network in Ghana, which starts from Tema roundabout in the South, and ends at Kulungugu, on the north-eastern border with Burkina Faso. The corridor is of strategic importance, especially for freight movement within Ghana and neighbouring land-locked countries. The project will boost Ghana’s transport capacity by offering an alternative crossing to the existing Adomi Bridge on the Eastern Corridor.

The agreement for the loan followed discussions between Ghana’s president, John Dramani Mahama, and the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, which were held in Tokyo. Included in the bridge project will be the construction of 1km of approach roads as well as rest stops, a toll plaza and navigation and illumination lights. The bridge will be tolled so as to help generate revenue to repay the loan.