Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has expressed serious concern over the structure of road contracts in Ghana, warning that many of them fail to deliver value for money.
According to the Minister, there is an urgent need to reform how road contracts are designed and managed to promote long-term efficiency and accountability in public infrastructure spending.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show with Bernard Avle on Thursday, July 31, 2025, Mr. Agbodza pointed to weak contract design and political interference—not just the conduct of developers—as the root causes of inefficiencies in the sector.
“The things we have done to ourselves in terms of the kind of contract that we form cannot be blamed only on the developers; it has to be blamed on ourselves,” he said.
He explained that political decisions often override proper technical processes, resulting in contracts being rushed or awarded prematurely.
“If the project hasn’t gotten to the stage of contracting and you tell [technocrats] to go to the site, I doubt they can defy you and say they will not work on it,” he noted.
“It is not always the case that the technocrats have decided to make work difficult for the politician — they will do what you ask them to do.”
Mr. Agbodza’s remarks come amid growing concerns over delayed road projects and arrears owed to contractors.
He has previously indicated that over 90% of contractors across the country are currently inactive due to funding challenges and poor contract execution.
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