Accra-Kumasi Expressway to cut travel time to 2hours, drive 120km per hour — Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has projected that motorists could travel between Accra and Kumasi in approximately 2 hours after the completion of the proposed Accra-Kumasi Expressway.

The President made the remarks on Monday, September 14, 2026, at Kwaso in the Ashanti Region during the handover of 175.6 kilometres of cleared right-of-way by the Ghana Armed Forces for the project.

He said the planned expressway would cover 198.7 kilometres and feature six lanes, making it significantly shorter than the existing Accra-Kumasi Highway, which stretches for about 270 kilometres.

President Mahama explained that the new alignment would reduce the distance between the two cities by nearly 70 kilometres, while the expressway’s design would also permit higher travelling speeds.

“When completed, as you were told, the recommended speed on the Expressway will be 120km per hour. You can drive at 120km per hour,” he noted.

He added that even motorists travelling at 100 kilometres per hour would be able to complete the journey in about 2 hours, compared with the five to six hours currently required on the old highway.

“Even if he is travelling at 100km an hour, it means that the journey will take him two hours, instead of the five to six hours that we currently use on the old Accra-Kumasi highway,” President Mahama said.

According to him, the shorter journey would make it possible for traders and other businesspeople to travel between Accra and Kumasi and return on the same day.

“And so Nana, when this Expressway is finished, you can leave Kumasi at 6am and you’ll be in Accra by 8am,” he stated.

The President further disclosed that the expressway would have three lanes in each direction, with vehicles expected to use the lanes according to their speed. Slower motorists would keep to the outer lane, while faster vehicles would use the inner lane.