ACCRA, July 31 -- Chinese company LiuGong Machinery on Wednesday handed over 2,200 heavy-duty equipment to the Ghanaian government to support the country's District Road Improvement Program (DRIP).

The equipment, which included motor graders, bulldozers, concrete mixers, back wheel loaders, rollers, tipper trucks, and water tanks, was purchased by the government of Ghana for road maintenance across the country.

During the handover ceremony, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said the project marked an important milestone in Ghana's pursuit of infrastructure development.

Akufo-Addo noted that despite the considerable progress made in the country's development, many roads, especially in deprived districts, remained in deplorable state, hampering economic activities and development efforts.

"Road infrastructure is the backbone of economic growth and social development. Roads connect communities, facilitate trade, enable access to education and healthcare, and ultimately improve the quality of life of the citizenry," Akufo-Addo stated.

He added that this is why the DRIP was critical to empower the various local government administrations with the equipment necessary to rehabilitate and maintain roads in their communities.

"We continue to appreciate warmly the cooperation between the government and people of Ghana and the government and people of China and may the cooperation flourish," Akufo-Addo said.

Zeng Guang'an, chief executive officer of LiuGong Machinery, said the company was glad to be part of such a massive project in Ghana, a country that holds an important position in Africa's development with a dynamic economy and rich resources.

"We are looking forward to continuing cooperation and contributing to a prosperous Ghana," he added.

  - Xinhua