Beyond the Highways: Why Our Rural Roads Deserve the 'Big Push'?

In Ghana, discussions on road infrastructure often focus on highly visible projects - large interchanges in our cities, expanded highways and impressive flyovers that change the face of Accra, Kumasi and other major centres.

While these urban projects are undoubtedly important, this focus tends to push another critical network into the background: the rural and inter-community roads that quietly sustain the nation broadens Socio-economic developments

Far from the major highways and city centres, countless rural communities are still battling deplorable road conditions marked by potholes, deep gullies, poor drainage systems and badly eroded surfaces meanwhile they remain the source of economic commodities to the cities

This situation compels us to ask a critical question: Are we giving adequate priority and political will and attention to the roads that link rural Ghana to markets, health facilities and schools?

Evidence from across the country shows that this is not just a hypothetical concern, but a lived reality for many citizens.

In the Mion District of the Northern Region, for instance, farmers in Kambon-Naakura rely on a deteriorated feeder road to cart their produce to markets in Mion, Jimle, Yendi and Tamale.

Reports indicate that neighbouring communities such as Sagbarugu, Chegu Fulanikura and Adamkura endure similar hardships, with some stretches becoming completely impassable during the rainy season.

A comparable situation exists in the Oti Region. The road connecting Awudome Kofe to Agortime Kofe, which serves Awudome Kofe, Aziage Kofe and Kpando Kofe in the Kadjebi District, has been reported to be in a deplorable state.

That particular road is a vital link for agrarian communities, facilitating the movement of farm produce and access to essential social services.

In the Eastern Region, the Mensah-Dawa–Apimsu–Asesewa feeder road presents yet another case. During an inspection in 2025, the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) observed that while concrete drains had been constructed, the actual surfacing of the road had not started and the contractor had abandoned the site.

In the Ho West District of the Volta Region, residents continue to lament what they describe as neglect by both central government and the Assembly, saying they are only given promises that fade away whenever there is a change in government.

Farmers living in border communities along stretches such as Kpedze-Kpoeta through Luvudo to the Honuta border, the Dzolo Gbogame-Dodome-Kpedze road, and from Saviefe through Anfoeta to Bame and Awudome Anyirawase, as well as inter-community roads like Ziavi to Akrofu through Hoviefe in the Ho Municipality — who are major producers of cash and fruit crops — are appealing for urgent government intervention to reconstruct or rehabilitate their roads to support their livelihoods.

That Ho West story is exactly why the rural roads debate won't go away.

The government inability to budget for the DRIP looks more like a policy shift than a simple oversight.

Since DRIP was treated as a one-time capital injection, not a recurring programme: In 2024, DRIP was launched as a centralized procurement and distribution of equipment - about one set of machines per district. Once distributed, it was accounted for under that year's CAPEX. Government's argument in 2025 was that the equipment is now with the Assemblies, so what needs budgeting is fuel, maintenance and operational cost under the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) and IGF, not a new DRIP line.

Shift to Big Push: For 2025/2026, the economic policy pivoted to the $10bn Big Push infrastructure programme, which focuses on centrally managed trunk and feeder roads contracts, not the district-owned equipment model. The Finance Ministry's line has been to consolidate road spending under Big Push, Ministry of Roads and Highways, and the World Bank's $500m rural roads facility, rather than maintain a separate DRIP vote.

Critics, including PIAC and some MPs, have called this an excuse - they argue that without a dedicated DRIP operational budget, many machines are parked because Assemblies cannot afford fuel, low-bed transport, or spare parts. So while government did not openly scrap DRIP, by not capturing its operationalization and sustainability cost in the 2025/2026 budgets, it has effectively slowed it down.

These isolated cases point to a larger national question: What becomes of communities when the very roads that connect them to opportunities are left to deteriorate?

For most rural areas, roads are far more than mere transport routes; they are essential lifelines for survival and growth.

Farmers depend on feeder roads to move cocoa, plantain, maize, cassava, yam and other foodstuffs to market centres. When these roads fail, the impact is felt instantly and severely.

Transport operators often increase fares to compensate for the bad terrain, making travel expensive for already struggling residents.

Consequently, farmers find it difficult to convey their harvest on time, and highly perishable produce often goes bad before reaching buyers.

The plight of Kambon-Naakura farmers perfectly captures this challenge. Because they depend on a single feeder road, its poor condition has reportedly deterred buyers from coming to the community, leading to post-harvest losses and reduced incomes.

Similarly, along the Awudome Kofe–Agortime Kofe stretch in Oti, residents have linked the poor road to high transport costs, difficulty in moving farm produce, and challenges in accessing healthcare.

This clearly shows that a bad rural road is not just an inconvenience; it is an economic blockade that stifles community development and prosperity.

In recent times, initiatives like the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) have attempted to empower Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies with road construction equipment.

The supply of motor graders, tipper trucks and other earth-moving machines is a commendable step forward.

However, the effectiveness of such programmes should not be judged merely by the number of machines handed over to assemblies.

The more pertinent questions are: Are these machines being deployed effectively to fix neglected feeder roads? Are assemblies undertaking routine maintenance before roads collapse completely? Are contractors delivering quality work? And when they fail, who is held responsible?

Lo and behold most DRIP Coordinators in some Assemblies seems to be complaining of fuel and maintenance with claims of no national budget for the operations. Even in some area where Assembly members and communities uses their own monies to fuel and pay for workmanship for service in the expense of the Assembly

The Mensah-Dawa–Apimsu–Asesewa road exemplifies why accountability is crucial. PIAC reported that despite funds being allocated, only drains had been completed, with no surfacing done and no contractor present on site.

Similar concerns have been raised about other roads in the Upper Manya Krobo area, including the Asesewa–Abuosso, Asesewa–Aketebuor and Asesewa–Akonta roads, where reports point to delays, shoddy execution and poor project supervision.

These are not just technical construction failures; they border on issues of public accountability and value for money for the taxpayer.

National development must not be measured solely by how fast vehicles move through cities, but also by how easily a rural farmer can get produce to market, how quickly a pregnant woman can reach a clinic, and how safely children can get to school.

This is not a call to abandon major highway projects, but a plea for a more balanced and equitable approach to infrastructure development.

Encouragingly, rural connectivity is gaining national attention. In 2026, the World Bank approved a $500 million facility to improve rural roads and market access, targeting the rehabilitation and maintenance of over 1,000 kilometres of roads in regions including Volta, Oti, Eastern and Northern.

While the investment is significant, its true value will not be in the figures announced, but in whether long-neglected communities finally feel the impact on the ground. This requires commitment from government to prioritize rural roads, stronger maintenance culture from local assemblies, and active community participation in monitoring projects. Members of Parliament and local authorities must also be ready to account for roads that remain deplorable year after year, while citizens demand transparency and protect completed roads from activities that destroy them.

Ghana's development cannot be centred only on major cities and highways while rural communities remain cut off from opportunity. A good rural road reduces transport costs, boosts agriculture, improves access to healthcare, and opens up local businesses. Investing in rural roads is therefore an investment in people. The "Big Push" must extend beyond the highways to the feeder roads. The strength of our transport system is defined not just by our biggest roads, but by the smaller routes that connect farms, communities and people to opportunity. From Kambon-Naakura in the north to Awudome Kofe in Oti and Mensah-Dawa in the Eastern Region, the message is clear: rural roads are not secondary - they are essential. Ultimately, a nation's foundation is not built on highways alone, but on the paths that connect its people to opportunity. So the question is no longer whether rural roads matter, but when they will finally get the attention they deserve.

By: Hannah Ladzekpo
University of Education Winneba
School of Journalism and Media Studies

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