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Participants in a stakeholders meeting on street lights have called for effective coordination of the management of street lights in the country.

According to them, currently, there were different policies which assigned street light management activities to different entities concurrently.

While the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180) mandates the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), or any other institution responsible for road infrastructure to provide and maintain street lights, the Local Government (Departments of District Assemblies) Instrument, 2009 (L.I 1961) mandates the assemblies to maintain the street lights.

The participants in the workshop, therefore, called for a merger of these management roles to ensure effective maintenance of street lights.

Although street lights could be found on the streets of the cities and towns, most of them are not functioning, leading to road crashes which could be prevented.

Workshop

The workshop was organised by the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) to engage relevant stakeholder institutions to discuss ways in which adequate street lights would be installed and sustained on major highways and roads.

The participants included representatives of the MTTD, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), district assemblies and civil society groups.

The policies and issues

The Head of Education, Research, and Training at the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Mr Alex Obeng, said apart from the GHA, other authorised agencies such as the Urban Roads Department and Department of Feeder Roads had the responsibility for all road infrastructure, including road markings and street lights.

However, a Senior Engineer at the Office of the Head of the Local Government Services, Mr Baah Tetteh, explained that it was the responsibility for the assemblies to maintain street lights in accordance with the Local Government (Departments of District Assemblies Instrument, 2009 (L.I 1961).

He said road agencies were responsible to provide street lights as part of the safety measures when constructing a road, but after completion and handing over, it became the responsibility for the assemblies to maintain the street lights.

Mr Tetteh, therefore, pointed out that there was a gap in the management process of the street lights.

“The total road network which is supposed to be ceded to each assembly had not been done so the assemblies do not know the street lights which fall within their jurisdictions to enable effective management,” he said.

Street light framework

In his submission, the Manager of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the Electricity Company of Ghana, Mr Tony Esiape, said the Ministry of Energy in 2011 constituted a Street Lighting Policy Framework to provide sustainable national development programme for street lighting.

He explained that the policy framework was currently being reviewed while the regulations had been developed to guide the management of street lights in the country.

Under the framework, which is currently with Cabinet, he said a National Street Lighting Committee and the District Street Lighting Coordination Committee were expected to be set up to review and revise street lighting policy and practices and coordinate street lighting programmes, respectively.

Mr Esiape, however, explained that theft of cables and damage of street light poles were some of the challenges in sustaining the streetlights.

He indicated that the three per cent levy was not enough to cover the cost of the streetlight power consumption.

The Adentan Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Alexander Nii Noi Adumuah, in his submission, noted that “there is no collaboration between the assemblies and the road infrastructure providers and so if the providers see the assemblies installing a street light or maintaining it, we are asked to stop because it was not our responsibility,” he said.