NPP has built far more roads than NDC, Asenso tells Mahama

The Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has declared that the road infrastructure development record of the erstwhile government led by John Mahama cannot in any be compared to that of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration.

Asenso-Boakye’s comment comes after the former president John Dramani Mahama questioned the New Patriotic Party’s assertion that since President Akufo-Addo assumed office in 2017 his administrations have laid 12,830 kilometres of roads.

“The point must be made emphatically, that between 2017 and the end of 2023, the Akufo-Addo and Bawumia administration has constructed an impressive 12,830 kilometres of roads, compared to the 4,636 kilometres achieved by the previous administration,” he said.

Asenso-Boakye was addressing the media in the Ashanti Region at Tafo Station, Kumasi, where he announced the government’s intention to dualise the Kumasi-Tafo-Mampong road.

Record

The minister said Ghana occupies an enviable position in Africa’s road network. According to data from the World Bank, he announced, Ghana’s road density – measured in kilometres of road per 100 square kilometres of land – exceeds the regional average.

“Ghana boasts 32.8 kilometres of road per 100 square kilometres, nearly double the African regional average of 17 kilometres. This significant achievement is further complemented by our rural accessibility,” Asenso-Boakye said.

He said that in Ghana, 63% of the population lives within two kilometres of all-weather roads, compared to just 47% across the Africa region.

Investment

“Over the last seven years, a lot of investment has gone into road infrastructure, both paved and unpaved, to improve the riding quality of our roads,” said Asenso-Boakye.

The minister said the work done included asphalt overlays, construction, gravelling, reconstruction, rehabilitation and partial reconstruction. This was exclusive of certain major road projects, which are at various stages of completion across the country, Asenso-Boakye said.

He cited the School Junction-Motorway Road, Ofankor-Nsawam Road, the Tamale-Yendi-Tatale Road, the Agona Nkwanta-Tarkwa Road, the Kasoa-Winneba Road and the Adenta-Dodowa Road.

Moreover, the minister said, six interchanges and 35 bridges have been completed nationwide. “Currently, more than ten interchanges and 50 bridges are at various stages of construction nationwide. Indeed, during the president’s 2023 State of the Nation Address, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo provided details of his administration’s achievements in the road sector.”

Inventory

Asenso-Boakye announced that an inventory of the national road network is taking place, with preliminary figures projecting that the road network will stretch to 100,000 kilometres by the end of the exercise.

The minister said at the end of December 2016, before the current government assumed office, the full extent of the road network in Ghana was 78,403 kilometres.

“This, however, had shot up by 20% to 94,203 kilometres by the end of 2023,” he said.

Honourable Asenso-Boakye said the government’s intervention in the road sector over the past seven years has led to an impressive improvement of the condition of Ghana’s road network to 44% good, 34% fair and 22% poor.

Comparison

He further said that in the former president’s era, the total size of the road network was 78,402 kilometres.

“Of these, 39% were in good condition, 32% were in fair condition and 29% were in poor condition.”

He said while the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia governments’ “achievement reflected nearly three times the progress made by the previous administration within the same timeframe”, he accepted that there is still work to be done. He added: “Our government remains committed to providing more roads to further enhance our nation’s infrastructure to meet the needs of the people.”

Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra

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