Government should not fund the $4 billion Accra-Kumasi Expressway project — Alan

Leader of the United Party (UP), Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, has questioned the government’s decision to finance the construction of the 175.6-kilometre Accra-Kumasi Expressway with public funds.

Mr Kyerematen argued that the project could instead have been structured as a private-sector investment, particularly because the completed expressway is expected to generate revenue through tolling.

Speaking at a public lecture at the British Council in Accra on Wednesday, September 23, he acknowledged the government’s decision to pursue the long-awaited project but said the financing arrangement could place significant pressure on public resources.

“We should commend the NDC government for thinking about the Accra-Kumasi Expressway. But I think the government should not fund the $4 billion expressway. Why should you fund a road that can be tolled? It should have been given to the private sector. $4 billion could have done a lot for Ghana,” he stated.

Mr Kyerematen said the project’s potential to generate toll revenue made it suitable for private financing, allowing investors to recover their capital over an agreed period through payments from road users.

He maintained that such an arrangement could have allowed the government to preserve funds earmarked for the project and redirect public resources towards other development priorities, including social infrastructure.

The 175.6-kilometre expressway is expected to feature interchanges, overpasses and bridges aimed at improving the movement of people and goods between Accra and Kumasi.

At a right-of-way handover ceremony on Monday, September 14, President John Dramani Mahama said about $2 billion had already been made available to facilitate the commencement of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway project.