The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has announced a major push by the government of President John Dramani Mahama to revive abandoned road projects and expand road infrastructure in the Savannah Region as part of the administration’s national “Resetting Ghana” agenda.
Speaking during President Mahama’s Savannah Regional tour, the Roads Minister disclosed that nearly all contractors had abandoned sites before the current administration assumed office, largely due to non-payment and uncertainty surrounding government transitions.
According to him, unlike previous administrations that suspended road contracts awarded by predecessors, President Mahama had adopted a different approach by allowing all ongoing projects to continue irrespective of which government awarded them.
“President Mahama decided that no road contract should be terminated or suspended because it was awarded by the previous government,” Mr Agbodza stated.
He explained that the administration had also prioritised the payment of contractors’ certificates in order to restore confidence in the road sector and return contractors to site.
“A president within 12 months has paid in excess of GH¢12 billion to contractors he did not appoint,” he revealed, describing the move as part of the government’s “reset” strategy for infrastructure delivery.
The Roads Minister argued that previous road expenditure patterns created deep regional inequalities, claiming that nearly 70% of road budgets were concentrated in Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions at the expense of less-developed regions such as Savannah, Oti and Upper West.
According to him, the Mahama administration was now shifting towards what he termed an “equity-based development model,” under which all regions would receive a fair share of national infrastructure investments.
“So every region must feel part of the development,” he stressed.
Mr Agbodza identified the Wechi-Wa corridor as one of the flagship projects under the government’s “Big Push” infrastructure programme, describing it as the longest corridor currently under construction through the Savannah and Upper West enclaves.
However, he admitted there were concerns over the pace of work on some stretches and warned contractors against delaying projects.
“We are not going to sit down for anybody to take jobs and not do it,” he cautioned.
The Minister issued a direct appeal to contractors who abandoned projects before the change of government to immediately return to site, assuring them that the current administration was committed to honouring payment obligations.
“I want to encourage all those contractors who got projects before President Mahama came. He is encouraging you not to be scared that when you work, you will not be paid,” he said.
He further disclosed that government had identified seven additional critical feeder roads in the Savannah Region for rehabilitation under a new infrastructure arrangement expected to commence next month.
The Roads Minister linked deteriorating road conditions to rising insecurity and road accidents on highways, arguing that pothole-ridden roads force drivers into dangerous manoeuvres.
“Part of the insecurity on our roads is actually the nature of the road. When the road has so many potholes, drivers cannot drive at a consistent pace,” he explained.
Also addressing the gathering, the Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, assured residents that government was intensifying efforts to improve highway safety and reduce armed robbery incidents on major roads.
“As you know, we are writing a wonderful signature on most of our long straight roads,” he remarked in reference to highway robberies, adding that the Inspector-General of Police and his team were implementing new security measures to make highways safer.
“We want to believe our highways will be much safer than they were before,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Agbodza revealed that the government had introduced stricter monitoring systems to track the performance of contractors nationwide, including direct public feedback mechanisms that allow residents to report inactive contractors and stalled projects.
According to him, the administration currently has over 2,000 kilometres of roads under construction across the country.
He urged citizens, especially young people, to actively monitor projects in their communities and report delays or inactivity to government.
“Tell us what is happening on projects in your community so that together President Mahama will go down on record as the person who made the biggest intervention on our roads,” he appealed.
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