Mobility and Access for Off-Road Rural Farmers in West-Akim District

Abstract

The study is on the rural transportation problem in Ghana and its consequences on the rural people, especially those who live in off road villages (villages that do not have access to regular transportation systems). The study specifically discusses the failure of the existing road transport network to provide sufficient services to rural people in the country and its socio-economic consequences on the people living in such areas. It starts with the importance of transportation and the relationship between transport and development in general. It then continues with the main problem of the study which is the poor state of rural transport in Ghana, stating clearly the failure of road transport to provide adequate transport services for the rural people. The primary information was gathered in the field using different qualitative methods and questionnaire. In addition, secondary sources were used to support the primary data collected in the field. Two villages from West-Akim District were used for the study: Owuarkesim, representing an off road village and Odjarde, representing a village which is fortunate to have a good road passing through it.