For residents of Dotom, Koniyaw and Kokotro, the story of their road is a story of one man’s consistent commitment.
In 2024, then Parliamentary Candidate Ralph Poku-Adusei was confronted with a tragedy that shook the communities along that stretch – a pregnant woman in labour lost her life while being transported on the deplorable Dotom-Koniyaw-Kokotro road.
Moved by compassion and a sense of duty, he did not wait for government. At a time when the DRIP machines had not yet been deployed to the Assemblies, he mobilized resources amounting to GHS 160,000 [One Hundred and Sixty Thousand Ghana Cedis] from his own coffers to reshape and surface the entire stretch without any state equipment. That singular intervention, in the lead up to the 2024 general elections, brought relief, hope and motorability to thousands.
With the subsequent introduction of DRIP machines by the NPP government, it was expected that poor road networks, especially within rural constituencies like Bekwai, would become a thing of the past.
Fast forward to 2026, the reality is not so.
Member of Parliament for Bekwai, Hon. Ralph Poku-Adusei, has once again come to the rescue of the same three electoral areas with a cash donation of GHS 30,000 – GHS 10,000 each – to purchase fuel to complete ongoing reshaping works that had stalled.
The Assembly had commenced the grading exercise using the DRIP machine but the machine stopped operating due to lack of fuel, as community contributions proved insufficient to sustain the work. The MP’s intervention followed engagements with Assembly Members, community leaders and residents.
The DRIP Dilemma
In his address to the communities, Hon. Poku-Adusei provided a revealing context to the current challenge.
He recalled that the NPP government, in its wisdom, introduced the District Road Improvement Programme [DRIP] and provided dedicated funding for fuel to support road reshaping and surfacing projects across constituencies. The initiative was designed to solve the perennial road problems at the local level.
However, with the coming into office of the NDC administration, there is no longer dedicated central funding for fueling the DRIP machines. Assemblies are now expected to fund such activities solely from their limited Internally Generated Funds [IGF] or through contributions from the beneficiary communities themselves.
“It is unfortunate therefore,” the MP noted, “that a road project which I single-handedly financed to the tune of GHS 160,000 before DRIP machines even arrived, cannot be completed today even with the availability of DRIP machines, without the financial support of the very communities it is meant to serve.”
Beyond Temporary Relief – Push For Permanent Construction
Hon. Poku-Adusei emphasized that while his GHS 30,000 cash support is to ensure residents have immediate access to a motorable road, it is only a stop-gap measure.
He disclosed that frantic efforts are being made to get the contractor, B. Beniako, whose contract for the road was awarded as far back as 2019, to return to site to complete the project.
He assured his constituents that he will not rest until three critical road networks – the Dotom-Koniyaw-Kokotro road, the Kensere-Biribiwomanmu-Pampaso road, and the Anwiankwanta-Poano-Sarfokrom road – are properly constructed and tarred.
To him, fixing these roads is central to his broader vision of a self-sufficient Bekwai Constituency where farmers can cart their produce, traders can access markets, and communities can thrive.
A Heart for the Communities
For Hon. Poku-Adusei, the Dotom-Koniyaw-Kokotro enclave remains very dear to his heart. Beyond the two major road interventions, his footprints are visible in the area – from the GHS 10,000 support to Koniyaw for electricity expansion, to the borehole at Asokore, the Dotom-Kokotro bridge, and his similar fuel support for the Kensere-Biribiwomanmu-Pampaso road.
> “I am not doing politics. I will continue to help my constituents to develop,” he reiterated.
Assembly Members led by Mr. Boat, Hon. Mavis and Hon. Ken Oppong Kyekyeku thanked the MP for his swift response even without a formal invitation, describing his intervention as a lifeline.
From a GHS 160,000 life-saving intervention before DRIP, to a GHS 30,000 rescue mission with DRIP, and now a push for full construction, Hon. Ralph Poku-Adusei’s message remains consistent: the welfare of his constituents comes first.
