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By Samuel Asamoah
Frustrated by what they describe as years of unaddressed development challenges, youth and rice farmers in the Osudoku Traditional Area of the Shai–Osudoku District have blocked roads leading into Asutsuare and petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to intervene in seven critical areas affecting livelihoods and public services.
The protesters, many of them clad in red bands and chanting protest songs, blocked access roads into the township, disrupting vehicular movement and leaving students, workers, traders and other commuters stranded.
The demonstration was organised by the Osudoku Youth Association (OYA), which says repeated appeals to government authorities have failed to produce the needed action.
In a petition, the association, acting on behalf of chiefs, elders, women’s groups, farmers’ associations and residents, outlined seven issues it wants the government to address urgently.
They are the lack of a market for locally produced rice, deplorable roads, the abandonment of Phase Two of the Kpong Irrigation Scheme rehabilitation project, the incomplete Asutsuare Market, the proposed splitting of the Shai-Osudoku Constituency, non-supply of government-sponsored fertiliser to Kpong Irrigation Scheme farmers, and abandoned Ghana First toilet facilities.
Rice farmers demand market, action on imports
The rice marketing crisis is one of the immediate triggers for the protest.
The OYA describes Osudoku as a major rice-producing area in the Greater Accra Region and says farmers have produced significant quantities of rice since 2025 but are struggling to find buyers.
It attributes the situation partly to competition from imported rice, which it says is relatively cheap and benefits from subsidies in exporting countries.
The association claims some locally produced rice is currently being stored in warehouses and risks going to waste, while farmers who contracted loans to finance production are struggling to repay them.
The youth are therefore calling for measures to regulate and reduce rice imports and want government to adequately resource the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) to purchase rice currently held by farmers in the area.
The farmers say their concerns are heightened by what they describe as previous assurances from the Ministers of Food and Agriculture and Finance that government would facilitate the purchase of their rice through the buffer stock programme.
They contend that those assurances have not yet resulted in the sustained purchase of their produce.
Poor roads affecting communities and agriculture
The petition also highlights the condition of roads linking communities in the area.
Among those identified are the Asutsuare-Akuse Road, Asutsuare-Asutsuare Junction Road, Osuwem-Tsopoli Road, and inner roads within Volivo and Asutsuare.
According to the association, the roads become particularly difficult to use during the rainy season, affecting the transportation of farm produce, increasing transport costs and contributing to post-harvest losses.
The OYA further claims that pregnant women and sick persons face difficulties accessing healthcare facilities because of the condition of the roads.
It says information from the Shai-Osudoku District Assembly indicates that some road projects were awarded more than three years ago, but contractors allegedly failed to mobilise to site, while others abandoned projects after what the association describes as poor-quality work.
The youth are asking the Ministry of Roads and Highways to investigate the contracts and either compel contractors to return to site or re-award the projects where necessary.
Kpong Irrigation Scheme project abandoned
The association is also demanding action on Phase Two of the Kpong Irrigation Scheme rehabilitation project, which it says has been unattended to for about two years.
According to the petition, the delay is affecting more than 300 farmers and over 600 hectares of developed farmland.
The OYA says it has engaged the Ministers of Food and Agriculture and Finance, as well as the Greater Accra Regional Minister, but claims no visible progress has been made.
It is appealing to President Mahama to direct the release of funds needed for the contractor to return to site and complete the rehabilitation.
Asutsuare Market remains incomplete
The abandoned Asutsuare Market project is another concern raised by the youth.
The association says the project was intended to provide a modern trading facility but has remained incomplete for more than two years.
It describes the unfinished structure as a potential danger to residents, while traders continue to operate in exposed conditions.
The OYA wants government to compel the contractor to return to site and complete the project.
It has also proposed that the facility be considered for a 24-hour market arrangement when completed.
Call for constituency to be split
The petition further renews the call for the Shai-Osudoku Constituency to be divided into two constituencies — Shai and Osudoku.
The association argues that the existing constituency covers a large geographical area and two traditional areas with different developmental needs.
It believes the current arrangement makes effective representation and equitable distribution of development more difficult.
The youth are therefore asking the President to initiate the necessary constitutional and administrative processes towards the proposed division.
Fertiliser shortage
The OYA claims that more than 2,400 farmers cultivating over 4,000 hectares under the Kpong Irrigation Scheme have not received government-sponsored fertiliser for the current farming season.
It says the farmers have completed registration and followed up with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture but are still awaiting supplies.
The association warns that inadequate access to fertiliser could affect yields and undermine food production.
It is demanding the immediate distribution of subsidised fertiliser to the affected farmers.
Abandoned toilets
Sanitation is the seventh issue outlined in the petition.
The association says several toilet facilities constructed under the Ghana First initiative in Asutsuare, Volivo, Osuwem and Akuse remain incomplete and abandoned.
It claims some of the structures have become hideouts for miscreants and reptiles, while residents continue to resort to open defecation.
The OYA says it has approached the Shai-Osudoku District Assembly to seek permission for beneficiary communities to mobilise resources to complete and operate the facilities under a sustainable management arrangement.
It wants the President to intervene and support the process.
Local authorities yet to respond
Despite the scale of the protest and the issues raised, the organisers say none of the local government representatives, including the Member of Parliament for the area, has publicly addressed the concerns raised by the protesters.
The organisers further say the local representatives were not available to receive the petition during the demonstration.
The absence of a response from the local political and administrative leadership has become an additional source of frustration for the protesters, who say they expected their representatives to engage them directly on the issues affecting their communities.
The organisers, however, say the petition will not end with the unsuccessful attempt to present it locally.
They have announced plans to hand-deliver the petition to the seat of government in Accra, where they intend to formally submit the document to the Presidency and demand a response to the seven concerns.
The OYA insists that the demonstration was peaceful and constitutionally protected, citing Article 21(1)(d) of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of assembly, including participation in processions and demonstrations.
Copies of the petition have also been addressed to the Speaker of Parliament, Chief of Staff, Ministers for Food and Agriculture and Roads and Highways, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, the Shai-Osudoku District Chief Executive and the Osudoku Traditional Council.
The protesters say they will continue to press for answers until concrete steps are taken to address the road, agriculture, market, irrigation, sanitation and representation concerns raised in their petition.
