The Daily Graphic is worried about the state of the Tarkwa-Ayanfuri road. It says reconstruction on the road which should have begun by now has not started because the constructors do not know the quarry rocks to use. The paper says according to the construction firm, the initial place for hauling rocks for construction was Tarkwa which is 13 kilometres from the road under construction. It says now the contractors are to pick rocks from Kwa-Appiah 60 kilometres from the site which is rather far. The paper wonders why the initial site for collecting rocks for construction was changed. It says due to the delay in the reconstruction of the road, the equipment are lying idle and incurring a lot of cost for the country. The Graphic therefore, appeals to the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ghana Highway Authority to help solve the problem so that the road can be reconstructed as soon as possible.

The violent clash yesterday between Chinese nationals engaged in illegal mining and residents of Nsiana, during which the foreigners fired weapons is the subject of comment by the Ghanaian Times. The paper believes the development brings to the fore, the need for the relevant authorities to confront the problem of ‘galamsey’ mining head on and find a lasting solution to it. The paper says a day prior to yesterday's incident, the Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy had advocated a collaborative effort at the governmental level to solve the problem. The Times believes the issue of illegal mining is now assuming international dimensions and it is imperative to tackle it immediately before it dents the nation's relationship with the Chinese government.

The Heritage expresses dismay about the utter disregard for the laws of the country. It says it is unfortunate that members of the Ghana Association of University Administrators, GAUA, who know all the laws about strike, are not following them to the letter. The Heritage thinks GAUA has made their point and should go back to work while the case is looked into. To the Heritage, it is worrying that GAUA has not yet come to the conclusion that the backing they had from the public at the initial stages has completely fizzled out.

The Finder is worried that the crisis in northern Mali is taking a long time to tackle. The paper fears that the longer it takes to fight the Islamist and dislodge them, the more entrenched they will be. The paper finds it difficult to understand why robust action has not been taken against them and why all efforts by the AU and ECOWAS are only meant to support a weak interim government. The Finder welcomes the International Criminal tribunal's acceptance of a request by the interim Malian government to launch a preliminary inquiry into the atrocities committed in northern Mali.

GBC