The Upper East Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Abdulai Jalaldeen, has called for greater accountability and measurable targets in infrastructure development, particularly road construction, to ensure progress can be tracked and assessed.
Speaking on News Digest on Dreamz FM with host Nicholas Azebire, the lawyer expressed concern about the slow pace of road development in parts of the Upper East Region, citing the poor condition of roads in the Bongo District specifically.
“If you don’t have a yardstick to measure, everything seems good for you,” Jalaldeen said, stressing that the absence of clear benchmarks makes it difficult to evaluate progress in development projects.
He pointed to the deteriorating condition of some key roads, including a stretch linking parts of Bongo and surrounding communities, noting that the road had remained in poor condition for years.
“That road has been in a very bad state since around 2015 until recently when some work started on it,” he said.
Jalaldeen questioned whether residents should continue to rely on partially paved roads, saying the situation reflects a broader problem in infrastructure planning and maintenance.
“Must we just drive on semi-tarred roads to Bongo?” he asked, adding that road conditions often worsen after certain sections, such as near the police station.
The CHRAJ director said Ghana needs a more systematic and transparent approach to infrastructure development, including clearly defined targets for road construction and maintenance. He suggested that setting measurable goals could help communities monitor progress and hold authorities accountable.
“For instance, if we said that every five years we should complete about 20 kilometers of paved roads, then in 10 years we would see significant improvement,” he said.
Jalaldeen urged government officials and stakeholders to adopt clear development benchmarks to improve infrastructure delivery and ensure communities can assess progress over time.
He said establishing measurable standards would strengthen transparency and help accelerate development in the Upper East Region.
