President John Dramani Mahama says he will cut the sod for the new Accra-Kumasi Expressway before Christmas, clearing another major step towards construction of the 198.7-kilometre highway.
The President says US$2 billion has already been placed in a dedicated account at the Bank of Ghana to finance the project, with the government expected to secure the full project cost by the end of 2026.
“This is our own money. We have not gone to borrow money from anywhere,” Mahama said during the handover of the cleared right-of-way at Kwaso, near Ejisu, on September 14.
READ ALSO:
He said the funds were taxpayers’ money and would allow contractors to be paid promptly once work begins.
Mahama said he would return to Kwaso before Christmas to formally cut the sod for the project, describing it as a Christmas present to the country.
The Chief Executive of Accra-Kumasi Expressway Limited, Francis Ahlidza, has separately said actual construction is expected to begin in January 2027.
The planned expressway will have six lanes and follow a new alignment between Accra and Kumasi. Government says it could cut the current five-to-six-hour journey between the two cities to about two hours.
Slower vehicles are expected to use the outer lanes, with faster traffic using the inner lanes. Plans for the road include two toll interchanges, eight other interchanges connecting communities along the route and four rest stops.
The highway is also expected to have roadside tow trucks and CCTV cameras to monitor traffic and reckless driving. Space has been reserved within the expressway corridor for a future railway line connecting Accra and Kumasi.
Companies interested in building the expressway are being invited to participate in the procurement process. The government says the prequalification and contractor selection process will be accelerated, with firms assessed for their technical and financial capacity to deliver the project.
The project is being managed by Accra Kumasi Expressway Limited, a special-purpose company established under the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund.
The company will oversee the design, construction and long-term management of the highway.
Graphic Online