Asenso-Boakye urges Mahama to halt new Accra–Kumasi expressway plan

Former Roads and Highways Minister and Bantama MP Francis Asenso-Boakye has appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to reconsider the government’s intention to construct a new six-lane Accra–Kumasi expressway.

He argued that the proposal is economically unwise and contradicts Ghana’s development obligations.

In a letter to the President, he described the plan as “premature, economically imprudent, and inconsistent with Ghana’s constitutional obligation to ensure continuity in national development,” stressing that significant strides have already been made in dualising the existing 240-kilometre corridor.

According to him, “over 100 kilometers of the 240 km stretch have been completed, and an additional 46 kilometers are currently under active construction,” leaving 94 kilometers yet to be dualised.

He maintained that discarding years of work to pursue a completely new project “would be counterproductive,” especially since the alternative expressway remains in its infancy.

Asenso-Boakye expressed concern that the Roads Ministry has not yet engaged a consultant to carry out a feasibility study for the proposed route, a situation he said signals the absence of “final design, cost estimate, or secured funding for the proposed expressway.”

He also challenged President Mahama’s assurance that the new road would be completed before his term ends, noting: “With my expertise and experience, I can say, without any fear of contradiction, that this timeline is not feasible.”

He warned that announcing timelines without feasibility and financing “risks undermining Ghana’s credibility in infrastructure planning.”

Citing Article 35(7) of the 1992 Constitution, the MP argued that governments are required to continue ongoing development projects, insisting that the near-completed dualisation is “technically sound, economically justified, and already delivering results.”

He further questioned the financial logic of abandoning a substantially advanced project for a far more expensive alternative at a time of fiscal strain, arguing, “It would be far more prudent to complete the existing dualisation project than to commence a new, significantly more expensive one.”

Asenso-Boakye recommended that funds for the proposed expressway be redirected to other key transport corridors such as the Eastern Corridor, Coastal N1, and Kumasi–Tamale Highway.

He maintained that his position is driven by national interest, stating, “My concern is borne, not out of partisanship, but in the interest of continuity, prudence, and national development.”

On the floor of the House last week, Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, had chided the former Roads Minister over his letter to the president. He wondered why MPs who were going to be beneficiaries of the project could not get behind it.

The proposed expressway, when completed, will connect Accra to Kumasi and reduce travel time between the country’s two largest cities.