Parliament has approved a concession agreement for the construction of the Accra–Kumasi Expressway, with the Ministry of Roads and Highways serving as the Contracting Authority and Accra–Kumasi Expressway Limited named as the concessionaire.
The approval comes amid concerns over the deteriorating state of the existing Accra–Kumasi highway, which has been affected by potholes, uneven surfaces, and poor lighting.
Addressing Parliament, Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Agbodza, assured lawmakers that the project would proceed as planned, stressing that the proposed expressway is intended to serve as an alternative route rather than a replacement for the current highway.
“The ECOWAS and the AU protocol say that when you build an expressway, you are allowed to charge a certain level of toll to recover the cost. But you must have an alternative that if somebody wants to go to Kumasi in six hours, he will also have the alternative.
“…There’s no road in Ghana that is more important than the road between Accra and Kumasi. And indeed we are doing something that we’ll be proud of maybe in five years,” he said.
The project involves the construction of a new six-lane dual carriageway, expected to enhance road safety, significantly reduce travel time, and offer a more efficient option for commuters.
During deliberations on the Road and Transport Committee’s report, the Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, urged the government to avoid neglecting the existing highway while work on the new expressway progresses.
“This project is GoG funded through GIIF and I think it’s a beautiful framework so that the money is made available to GIIF subcontracts and GIIF can take the money back as a commercial project. But it is GoG still and the old Accra Kumasi highway, if I’m correct is also GoG,” he said.
He stressed the need to complete outstanding works on the current road, including lighting, even as the expressway project advances.
“If they are both going to draw from the same source, especially now that the revenues haven’t hit the projections, let’s be careful so that we don’t have both projects,” Nkrumah cautioned.
Government officials insist that the new expressway will modernise one of Ghana’s most critical transport corridors while providing a safer, faster, and more reliable alternative for travellers between Accra and Kumasi.
