Claim: Construction of the road connecting Fodome to Hohoe is currently ongoing
Verdict: False. Findings revealed that no construction work is ongoing on the Fodome to Hohoe road.
Full Text
In a Facebook post by Elikem Sewordor, a known member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Volta Region and a social communicator of the party, posted a picture of an ongoing road construction work with the claim that work was ongoing on the Fodome to Hohoe road.
Mr Sewordor subsequently explained that the picture was taken from the Kiki’s court stretch of the Hohoe road, adding that the work formed part of the second phase of the project.
Since Feb. 1, 2024, the post has received more than 100 reactions, 71 comments and 20 shares from Facebook users. The comments under this post varied with some individuals doubting the claim while others praised the government for taking steps to construct that portion of the road.
One of the comments from a Facebook user, Kofi Blonya, questioned, “Again? This road was done before the 2020 elections. Ghana is my motherland.”
Another user, David Dzikunu, praised the government for the project, saying, “NPP all the way.”
It is worth mentioning that, in October 2020, construction work was done on the Fodome to Hohoe road, but it was indicated that the project was not fully completed since the road had only received a first coating (tarring).
However, the road has since developed deep potholes and has become unmotorable.
This claim is worth verifying since it has everything to do with the government’s performance and also in the interest of the Ghanaian public ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Verification
The researcher first attempted a Google Reverse Image Search for the picture used in making the claim, but none of the numerous searches produced any matched result.
The researcher proceeded to interview a reporter with UTV Ghana, located in Hohoe, Daniel Asempapa, who debunked the claim, noting that, “there is no ongoing work on the road. I use that road almost every week and can say with certainty that no such work is happening.”
In addition to the reporter’s comment, the research team verified the claim independently.
The checks revealed no construction on the Fodome to Hohoe road. Below are pictures and screenshots of videos taken from the road when the researcher visited.
Conclusion
Based on the evidence gathered, it is safe to say that the claim that there is ongoing work on the Fodome to Hohoe road, particularly on the Kiki’s court stretch, is false.
The researcher produced this fact-check under the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, National Endowment for Democracy (NED), to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
