Bolgatanga–Bawku–Pulmakom Road: Roads Minister’s 67% Completion Rate Inconsistent with Finance Minister’s 95% Rate in 2026 Budget

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NPP communicator Abonenga Joseph Aguyire has questioned the apparent contradiction between the Roads and Highways Minister's claim that the Bolgatanga–Bawku–Pulmakom Road was 67% complete when work stalled and the 95% completion rate recorded by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson in the 2026 Budget Statement.

The 2026 Budget explicitly states that rehabilitation of the Bolgatanga–Bawku–Pulmakom Road was 95% complete.

Mr. Abonenga argues that the government cannot tell Parliament that the project had reached 95% completion and subsequently tell Ghanaians that it was only 67% complete without explaining the 28‑percentage‑point discrepancy.

He also challenged what he described as an attempt to rewrite the history of the project.

According to him, the project was awarded under the previous Mahama administration prior to the 2016 elections, without a dedicated source of funding. However, the contractor only moved to site on 7 December 2016, which was the day of Ghana's general elections.

The project subsequently stalled because of funding challenges. The NPP government that assumed office in 2017, according to Mr. Abonenga, secured approximately €135 million in financing from a UK‑based bank to enable the project to continue.

The project was later revised, and construction progressed under the Akufo‑Addo administration.

Mr. Abonenga says it is therefore misleading for the current administration to present the project as though it inherited an abandoned road without acknowledging the progress made under the previous government.

“The 2026 Budget Statement read by Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson explicitly states that the road was 95% complete. If that is the official position of the government, how does the Roads Minister now arrive at 67%?” he quizzes.

He argues that the issue isn't simply about political rhetoric, but about the credibility and consistency of the government's own records.

“You cannot present 95% to Parliament and turn around to tell the people of the Upper East Region 67% without explaining what happened to the missing 28%.”

Mr. Abonenga further criticised what he described as revisionist propaganda aimed at rewriting the history of the project to conceal the current administration's failure to complete it.

He said the people of the Upper East Region aren't interested in political excuses or attempts to rewrite the record.

“The hardworking people of the Upper East Region demand a completed project, not revisionist propaganda seeking to rewrite the facts to save face in light of incompetence and shame.”

According to him, the current administration has been in office for almost two years and, based on its own 2026 Budget, inherited only 5% of the project to complete.

Yet, he argues, that remaining portion is still unfinished.

“Almost two years in office, and the 5% left for them to complete has still not been completed. You cannot inherit 5% and spend almost two years explaining why you haven't completed it. The people deserve results, not excuses.”

For Mr. Abonenga, the Roads and Highways Ministry must first reconcile its 67% figure with the 95% figure contained in the government's own 2026 Budget Statement before attempting to rewrite the history of the project.

“Facts are sacrosanct.”

José Aguyire Abonenga
A member of the NPP Upper East Regional Communication Directorate.

An Economic Enthusiast, Social Commentator and Social Activist.
[email protected]