A farming community in Ghana’s Bono East Region is struggling under the weight of neglected infrastructure, with its chief warning that crumbling roads have stalled development and driven away essential workers.
Nyansuaka, a rural settlement in the Techiman North District, depends heavily on agriculture — yet its farmers watch helplessly as harvested crops rot before reaching market. The community’s chief, Nana Elder Daniel Kwadwo Sekyere, used the celebration of his first year on the stool to deliver a blunt message to the central government: fix the roads or risk abandoning an entire community to poverty.
Speaking at a durbar on Saturday marking the anniversary of his enstoolment, Nana Sekyere painted a grim picture of life in Nyansuaka. The roads connecting the community to nearby trading centres have deteriorated so badly that transporting farm produce has become nearly impossible, he said, driving post-harvest losses to punishing levels. Beyond agriculture, the broken infrastructure has made the area deeply unattractive to professionals. Health workers, trained teachers and other government employees routinely decline postings to Nyansuaka, largely because the poor road network compounds an already severe shortage of accommodation.
The chief’s appeal extended well beyond roads. He noted that Nyansuaka lacks a police post, meaning officers from neighbouring areas cannot respond to criminal activity in good time — a problem worsened by the same impassable routes. Rising fire outbreaks across the community have also exposed the absence of a fire station, leaving residents vulnerable during emergencies. Nana Sekyere further called on authorities to tackle a recurring acute water shortage that has plagued the area for years, describing it as a basic need the government must prioritise.
Community leaders echoed the chief’s frustrations and raised fresh concerns about a growing social crisis among young people. Mr Obed Amoah, an opinion leader in Nyansuaka, highlighted the area’s rapid population growth and warned that substance abuse and alcoholism among the youth had reached alarming levels. He urged the government to establish a dedicated youth development centre to provide structured opportunities and steer young people away from destructive habits before the situation spirals further.
The durbar laid bare a familiar pattern across rural Ghana — communities rich in agricultural potential but starved of the infrastructure needed to unlock it. Without functional roads, Nyansuaka remains cut off from markets, services and the professionals who could transform its fortunes. Farmers lose income, residents face delayed emergency responses, and young people grow up with few constructive outlets.
Source: Ghana News Agency
