Parliament has given the green light to a concession agreement for the Accra–Kumasi Expressway, setting the stage for the construction of a new six-lane dual carriageway to ease pressure on Ghana’s busiest transport corridor.
The Ministry of Roads and Highways will act as the Contracting Authority, while Accra–Kumasi Expressway Limited has been named as the concessionaire.
The approval, however, was not without debate, as the Minority questioned whether government should prioritise fixing the existing Accra–Kumasi highway, which is in poor condition.
Responding to the concerns, Roads and Highways Minister Governs Kwame Agbodza insisted the expressway is designed to complement, not replace, the current road.
“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,” he said.
He described the Accra–Kumasi route as Ghana’s most critical road network, adding that, “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.”
The proposed expressway is expected to improve safety, cut travel time and provide a modern, high-speed option for commuters.
During discussions on the Road and Transport Committee’s report, MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, cautioned government against diverting attention entirely to the new project at the expense of the old highway.
“This project is GoG funded through GIIF… But it is GoG still and the old Accra Kumasi highway, if I’m correct is also GoG,” he noted, warning that, “If they are both going to draw from the same source… let’s be careful so that we don’t have both projects.”
Government maintains that the expressway, which falls under the ‘Big Push’ agenda, will transform the corridor while preserving the existing road as a free alternative.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
