Residents of Kayoro, a farming community in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region, have appealed to the government to rehabilitate the area’s road network, saying its poor condition is affecting agriculture, healthcare and economic activities.
The community’s main road linking Kayoro to Paga through Baliu and Pinda has deteriorated over the years, with damaged culverts and severe erosion making it unsafe for motorists and pedestrians.
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The road has been abandoned by many commuters, leaving residents to rely on the much longer Kayoro–Chuchuliga–Navrongo–Paga route, which passes through the Builsa North and Kassena-Nankana municipalities before reaching the district capital.
Paramount Chief of the Kayoro Traditional Area, Pe Oscar Batabi Tiyiamu II, told the Ghana News Agency that the stretch between Kayoro and Chiana was also in poor condition, making it difficult for residents to access markets and essential social services.
He said the community’s predominantly peasant farmers, who cultivate maize, rice, sorghum, groundnuts and vegetables, are unable to transport their produce to market centres, resulting in significant post-harvest losses.
According to the chief, the poor road network has discouraged investment in the area, forced some farmers to reduce their farm sizes and driven others out of business, worsening poverty in the community.
“We are dominantly peasant farmers and we are not always able to transport our products to the market centres to sell, which always leads to post-harvest losses. Since my enskinment more than 30 years ago, nothing has been done about it although we have appealed several times,” he said.
Pe Tiyiamu II also noted that the poor road network was limiting access to healthcare, as residents faced difficulties reaching the Paga Health Centre, the main referral facility for the area.
He appealed to the government to rehabilitate the Kayoro-Paga road to improve livelihoods and enhance access to essential services.
Secretary of the Kayoro Women Farmers Group, Janet Achagiwe, said the poor roads posed serious challenges for pregnant women and other patients seeking medical care, often causing delays that resulted in health complications.
She further highlighted other development challenges facing the community, including an acute shortage of potable water, with two major communities depending on a single borehole.
Ms Achagiwe added that Kayoro is not connected to the national electricity grid, a situation she said is affecting children’s education as many are unable to study at night.
According to her, some students are forced to travel to neighbouring communities in search of electricity to study, exposing them to risks including teenage pregnancy and school dropout.
