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The national roads network of about 39,000 kilometres as at 2001, is now more than 67,000 kilometres. Despite this massive expansion, which should blunt the improvement, the road condition mix had improved from 27 per cent good, 17 percent fair and 56 percent bad as in 2001 to 45 percent good, 25 percent fair and 30 percent poor as at the end of 2013. Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemana, Minister of Roads and Highways, made this know at a public forum organised by the Ghana Road Fund Management Board with stakeholders in the road sector, to brainstorm and come out with alternative options of generating funds for the development and maintenance of roads in Ghana. He said it was important that after the roads had been constructed, measures must be put in place to ensure their sustainable maintenance for the people to benefit from their use for a long time. The Road Minister said for the roads to have a longer lifespan, axle loan control was necessary and critical, as doubling the weight of the axle would cause as much as 16 times the damage to the road. He urged Ghanaians to support government and the Road Fund Board through regular and prompt payment of levies and fees, to ensure consistent maintenance of roads. Alhaji Sulemana explained that road transport, which was the dominant mode of transport in Ghana accounted for 97 percent of passenger traffic and of freight. He noted that a good road network would promote and accelerate socio-economic activity and development and also, reduce poverty. Mr Bede Ziedeng, Upper West Regional Minister, in his welcoming address, said any poverty reduction strategy in the region, would require the availability of a good network of feeder roads to feed the highways in the movement of goods and services throughout the region. The regional minister who gave statistics of roads in the region, said of a total road network of 4,655 kilometres, 1,147 kilometres were highways, 385 kilometres urban roads and 3,152 kilometres feeder roads. He said of the 4,655 kilometres of roads, 84 percent of paved highways roads were good, 16 per cent fair. Unpaved roads, 25 percent were good, 58 percent fair and 18 percent poor; feeder roads, 42 percent good, 36 percent fair and 22 percent poor, urban roads, 29 percent good, 13 percent fair and 58 percent poor. Mr Ziedeng said the Upper West Region was the only region in Ghana that had no asphalt road, while many of its roads were also in deplorable conditions thereby impacting negatively on the socio-economic activities and the general development of the region. The regional minister, however, expressed gratitude to government for the on-going road projects, especially Nadowli-Lawra-Nandom-Hamile road, the Wa-Hain and the Chuchuliga-Sissili-Tumu roads.