Unsold local rice and poor roads trigger protest in Shai-Osudoku District
Hundreds of residents of Asutsuare, Akuse and nearby communities in the Shai-Osudoku District, staged a peaceful protest to demand urgent government action on poor roads, unsold rice stocks and other development challenges. The post Unsold local rice and poor roads trigger protest in Shai-Osudoku District appeared first on Ghana Business News .
In the Shai-Osudoku District, hundreds of residents from Asutsuare and Akuse, along with residents from surrounding communities, organized a peaceful protest to demand government action on multiple issues. The demonstration, led by the Osudoku Youth Association (OYA), encompassed residents, elders, women groups, farmers, traders, and youth.
They marched through Asutsuare's principal streets to Akuse, presenting a petition addressed to President John Dramani Mahama with demands such as "Save Osudoku Rice Farmers," "Fix Our Roads Now," and "Complete Our Projects."
Mr Richard Nii Sai, Chairman of OYA, explained that the people of Osudoku overwhelmingly supported Mahama in the 2024 election after he visited the area and promised to prioritize its development. However, the protest highlighted that despite bumper rice harvests, thousands of bags remained unsold in warehouses due to competition from imported rice.
Sai urged the government to intervene to protect local rice farmers and suggested purchasing surplus stock by the National Food Buffer Stock Company to prevent financial losses.
The demonstrators also complained about the poor state of several roads in the area, particularly during the rainy season, which has increased transport costs, delayed healthcare access, and led to post-harvest losses for farmers. Another pressing concern was the stalled Phase Two of the Kpong Irrigation Scheme Rehabilitation Project, which has left over 300 farmers unable to cultivate land for two years.
Sai called for the completion of the Asutsuare Market project and the immediate distribution of government-subsidized fertilizers to over 2,400 farmers under the Kpong Irrigation Scheme.
The protesters also demanded better public facilities, such as toilet facilities in Asutsuare, Volivo, Osuwem, and Akuse. They urged the government to consider splitting the Shai-Osudoku Constituency into separate Shai and Osudoku constituencies. The demonstration was described as a peaceful exercise in accordance with Article 21 (1)(d) of the 1992 Constitution, and the protesters expressed confidence that President Mahama would address their petition and the pressing development challenges facing the Osudoku Traditional Area.
Written by urgent.news from Ghana Business News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
