News:
March 25, 2026
The Minority on Parliament’s Roads and Transport Committee, led by Kennedy Osei Nyarko, is demanding answers from the government regarding the proposed Accra-Kumasi Expressway, raising concerns over the project’s undisclosed cost, compensation for affected communities, and overall fiscal transparency.
The government has proposed the construction of a 198.7-kilometer six-lane expressway, billed as Ghana’s first true high-speed route capable of reducing travel time between Accra and Kumasi to approximately two and a half hours. While the Minority acknowledged that the ambition to improve connectivity between the country’s two major economic hubs is commendable, it argued that several critical questions remain unanswered.
A key concern centers on the project’s alignment, which preliminary drawings indicate will pass through heavily built and densely settled communities. The Minority noted that constructing a six-lane expressway requires a wide right of way, necessitating the acquisition of numerous homes, businesses, and properties, along with significant compensation and resettlement costs that have not yet been disclosed to the public.
The Minority stressed that without clarity on these compensation costs, it is impossible for policymakers and citizens to properly evaluate the true financial burden of the expressway. They warned that if the combined cost of compensation and construction ends up being two to three times higher than completing the existing Accra-Kumasi highway dualization project, serious questions must be asked about the prudent use of national resources, especially given the country’s current fiscal constraints and the persistent underfunding of the road sector.
While describing the expressway as a commendable long-term vision, the Minority argued that the government must demonstrate the project represents sound economic value. They suggested that if the total cost significantly exceeds the resources needed to finish the existing project initiated under the previous administration, it would be more economically rational to prioritize completing that alternative.
To date, no official total project cost has been disclosed, and the 2026 national budget contains no allocation or indicative cost projections for the expressway. The Minority called on the government to provide full transparency, including the total estimated construction cost, the expected compensation and resettlement costs for affected communities, and the overall financial implications for the state, insisting that only with this information can the project’s prudence be properly assessed.
Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com