Farmers in 12 Communities Stage Demo Over Collapsed Foot Bridge at Okorase
The farmers clad in red attire and red armband under police protection embarked on a demonstration to draw the attention of the government to their predicament.
Joana Somiah 
Farmers in Okorase, Domeabra, and Mmetiamu and other communities in Akuapem- North Municipality in Eastern Region on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, embarked on a demonstration over the collapse of a wooden footbridge that connects 12 farming communities to market centers in Okorase and Suhum.
The wooden bridge was constructed in 1808 at the cost of £1,680 by a Swiss missionary and civil engineer, Jacob Isliker, on behalf of the enterprising pioneer cocoa farmers who migrated from the Akuapem Mountains mostly La Mmetiamu establish early cocoa farms around the Densu river, collapsed two weeks ago.
The footbridge was featured by Dr Polly Hill, formerly of the University of Ghana in her book, ‘Migrant Cocoa Farmers of Southern Ghana (1970). In the book, he described the bridge as a splendid and historic landmark that should be preserved as a monument to the business enterprise of the first cocoa farmers due to its uniqueness in Africa.
But for lack of maintenance, the bridge has collapsed, rendering hundreds of farmers stranded while their farm produces mostly cassava; plantain and Cocoa are rotting away.
Few farmers capable of swimming does so to cross the Densu River to their farms but are attacked by some dangerous amphibians.
Pregnant women are unable to attend antenatal care while pupils are unable to cross to attend school.
Three school children who attempted to swim the river nearly drowned until a timely rescue by some farmers around.
The farmers clad in red attire and red armband under police protection embarked on a demonstration to draw the attention of the government to their predicament.
Nana Oye Asiwaa Apem, the Queen-mother for Okorase opined, that several petitions sent to the Presidency and Akuapem- North Municipal Assembly about the poor state of the bridge were not attended to until the total collapsed, which has cut off other farming communities.
Charles Adu Asinor Assemblymember for Okorase and his colleague Ransford Norvol, Assemblymember for Koransang Electoral Area, under Suhum Municipality narrated, that the situation should be treated with urgency to save farmers, pregnant women as well as schoolchildren.
They also want the road to be constructed to facilitate transportation of farm produce from the farming Communities into the cities.
William Ofori Akwaboa, Eastern Regional Correspondent
