KOKOFU FARMERS CALL FOR COMPENSATION (PAGE 37, MIRROR, JAN 16, 2010)

From George Ernest Asare, Kokofu

Farmers at Kokofu and its environs whose farms were destroyed to pave way for the rehabilitation of the Kokofu–Ehuren trunk road have petitioned the government to prevail on the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) and the Land Valuation Board to pay them compensation.
According to the farmers, the compensation was due in May 2000 but for reasons difficult to understand, the authorities concerned had failed to honour the promise, making it difficult for them to make ends meet.
According to them, food and cash crops, including cocoa, oil palm, teak, coconut, oranges and plantain, were all destroyed.
In an interview with The Mirror when a section of them trooped to the Kumasi Office of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), the farmers expressed concern over the undue delay in paying them compensation, stressing, “It is very painful that for over a year nothing has been done to pay the numerous hungry farmers whose food and cash crops were destroyed to pave way for the construction of the Kokofu-Ehuren trunk road”.
Their spokesman, Mr H.Y. Gyimah-Ankoannah, said prior to the destruction of the farms, the Regional Land Valuation Board and the Highway Authority "inspected and identified the affected crops and assured us to pay compensation as soon as possible".
He said frequent visits to the offices of both the Land Valuation Board and the GHA to demand payment of the compensation had not yielded any fruitful results, hence their petition to the government to intervene.
He pointed out that the failure of the board and the GHA to pay the compensation had affected their livelihood, explaining that “the items destroyed were our main sources of income, but now we have nothing to rely on and this has made it difficult for us to cope with the prevailing harsh socio-economic conditions”.
“We are appealing to the government to intervene, as a matter of urgency, to prevail on the GHA and the Land Valuation Board to honour our compensation to enable us to cater for our children’s education and other family needs,” he pleaded.
When contacted, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Highways , Mr Sitsofe Addo, acknowledged the concerns of the farmers and said measures have been put in place to compensate the farmers as promised . 
Mr Addo explained that already, the Land Valuation Board had documented all the crops destroyed and listed farmers who were affected when the seven- kilometre road was being constructed.
“ We have a directive where any Contractor who undertakes a  national project is expected to pay people whose property are destroyed in the course of undertaking the project , so the contractor who constructed the road has been directed to pay the affected farmers," he explained
Mr Addo said "the problem is that, the government is yet to pay contractors, so as soon as they are paid, I am certain that all the farmers would be duly compensated for the crops destroyed. I know the farmers are going through difficult period, but they should  be patient because efforts are being made to pay their compensations."