By Ishmael Junourgh 
Wa Central NDC communication Officer, Aspirant says renewed road construction demonstrates President Mahama’s commitment to national development.
The NDC Wa Central Communication Officer aspirant Alhaji Bitis has mounted a strong defence of President John Dramani Mahama, insisting that the President’s Big Push road and infrastructure agenda is national in character and not driven by tribal, regional or political considerations.
Alhaji Bitis said President Mahama’s renewed focus on major road projects across the country was evidence that he was committed to Ghana’s overall development rather than selectively directing resources to areas based on political or ethnic considerations.
“John Dramani Mahama is not sleeping,” Alhaji Bitis said. “He comes from the Northern Region. He’s from Bole. And they used that road to insult him. He’s not selective, or tribalistic. What he focuses on is the national goal of the country.”
He described the Big Push agenda as one of the most significant achievements of the Mahama administration so far, pointing particularly to the renewed construction activity on the Wa–Wenchi–Techiman–Kumasi road corridor.
‘Eight years, you won’t see a shovel’
Alhaji Bitis recalled the condition of the road under the previous administration, saying the journey from Wa to Kumasi, which previously took about four hours, had at one point stretched to approximately eight hours.
“For eight good years, the road from Wa to Wenchi, Techiman, Kumasi, that we used to use about four hours to travel, we used about eight hours,” he said.
He alleged that despite repeated appeals from residents of the Upper West Region, there was little visible construction activity on the road.
“For eight good years, you won’t see a shovel there. You won’t see even a bowl of sand, just to demonstrate that they are doing something,” he said.
According to him, the poor state of the road had serious consequences for commuters and communities, including accidents and insecurity.
“The people of Wa demonstrated, Upper West Region cried, accidents were rampant, people were dying, armed robbery was in ascendancy,” he said.
‘Morning, afternoon, night, they are working’
Bitis contrasted the situation under the previous administration with what he described as the renewed pace of road construction under President Mahama.
He said the difference was visible to motorists and residents travelling along the corridor.
“His Excellency the former President John Dramani Mahama came. Go and see that road. Morning, afternoon, night, they are working to restore that road to its normalcy,” he said.
For Bitis, the renewed road construction is an important demonstration that President Mahama’s development agenda extends beyond his own political and geographical base.
Mahama’s Bole roots, national vision
Alhaji Bitis specifically invoked President Mahama’s origins in Bole to reinforce his argument that the President should not be viewed through a narrow regional lens.
“He comes from the Northern Region. He’s from Bole,” he said, arguing that critics had previously used the poor condition of the road politically against the President.
But Bitis insisted that Mahama’s northern identity has not translated into discriminatory development.
“He’s not selective, or tribalistic,” he reiterated. “What he focuses on is the national goal of the country.”
His comments effectively frame the Big Push as a test of national inclusion—with roads and other infrastructure expected to reach communities based on development needs rather than political, ethnic or regional affiliation.
Big Push and the Upper West connection
The emphasis on the Wa–Wenchi–Techiman–Kumasi corridor is particularly significant for the Upper West Region, where the road serves as a major link to the southern parts of Ghana.
A functional corridor is critical to the movement of people, agricultural produce and goods, while also affecting access to markets, education, healthcare and employment opportunities.
Bitis therefore sees the road works not merely as a local intervention but as part of a wider national infrastructure strategy.
He also praised the Roads Minister for what he described as a more active approach to ensuring that contractors remain on site and deliver their assignments.
“Today, the Road Minister, you can visibly see how active he is, making sure that he puts contractors on their toes to make sure that these roads are constructed,” he said.
A political defence of Mahama’s development record
Alhaji Bitis’ intervention amounts to a vigorous political defence of President Mahama’s infrastructure record, with the Big Push road agenda serving as his central evidence.
His argument is straightforward: if development were being distributed on the basis of tribal or regional considerations, communities such as those along the Wa corridor would not be witnessing the renewed infrastructure attention he describes.
For Bitis, the President’s record should therefore be judged by the roads being constructed, communities being connected and economic opportunities being created—not by political narratives about where the President comes from.
“What he focuses on is the national goal of the country,” he said. That, according to Bitis, is the defining principle behind President Mahama’s Big Push agenda.
Pascal Gyireh