Parliament on Thursday passed a Bill establishing the National Roads Authority.

This was after the Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, had moved a motion in the house during the third reading of the National Roads Authority Bill.

"The primary objective of this Bill is to establish the National Roads Authority, an autonomous body responsible for planning, developing, maintaining, and managing Ghana's national road network," the Minister stated.

According to Mr Asenso-Boakye, "this new entity will streamline the management of Ghana's national roads by bringing together the three key agencies currently under the Ministry -- Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Urban Roads, and the Department of Feeder Roads -- into a single authority."

Under the new arrangement, the management of trunk roads, arterial roads, collector roads, and district and inter-district roads would be placed under the jurisdiction of the National Roads Authority.

It will be recalled that last year, the Cabinet approved the establishment of the National Roads Authority to address certain pertinent challenges in the roads sector such as lack of coordination, duplicated efforts, insufficient maintenance, inconsistent standards and project delays.

These challenges adversely affected the road network's quality, safety and sustainability, thus impeding economic growth and social development.

The establishment of the National Roads Authority, is therefore, vital for the achievement of a well-planned, well-maintained and safe road network in Ghana.