The flag-off of the N200Bn Port Harcourt Ring Road on Monday, July 17, 2023, by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has attracted interest from investors and those in the housing sub-sector.
One of them, the Mayor of Housing, said the flag-off is the right step in the right direction toward actualisation of the governor other dream project, ‘Social Housing’, and decongestion of Port Harcourt agenda.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, the Mayor of Housing, MY-ACE China, said one of the major things that stimulates development is road, saying 80 percent of what makes a city is road development. “The ring road this is the right first cord.
“The next two quick things are to ensure that all internal roads are good and motorable; and that there are bridges to link all cavities of the city. If this ring road can be followed up by internal roads and linkage bridges, believe me, Port Harcourt is on its way back to the Garden City status because no city can develop and compete without linkage roads.
He praised the choice of contractor, Julius Berger, saying it is sign of seriousness and hunger for quality.
We must know that roads drive the economic growth of any entity or region because goods and humans migrate seamlessly to boost economic growth. Truly, I am impressed.”
He observed that the early take-off of the gigantic project shows that the governor’s intentions for infrastructural development and housing are serious; ring road, internal roads, linkage bridges.
“Other things are ease of doing business, ease to land titles, ease of approvals, ease of paperwork by government to developers, among others.
The next is collaboration with developers to ensure a proper public private partnership (PPPP) development system so that the projects have self-sustaining, self-auditing, and self-duplicating features already imbedded ab initio so they do not die when the administration that initiated it goes. Proper PPP has three things: self-auditing, self-sustaining, and self-duplicating mechanisms. That way, they are able to live out the test of time.”
He said the Ring Road would divert traffic off the city centre.
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