Accra-Kumasi Expressway: Who Paid for the Army's Bulldozers?

Ghana's Armed Forces have cleared 175.6 kilometres of forest, farmland and river corridor for the Accra-Kumasi Expressway in 19 weeks, one week ahead of schedule.

The handover to President John Mahama on September 14 was celebrated as "mission accomplished." A question is now following the applause: where did the money for the clearing come from?

The Searchlight's challenge
Part 4 of The Daily Searchlight's series says no funds for the Army's clearance can be identified in either the 2025 or 2026 budget. I have only seen the paper's front page, not the full story on page 2, so I can't say how it reached that conclusion or whether the government has answered it.

What the government has said
The GH¢11bn, and what it isn't: In July, the Controller and Accountant-General's Department said the roughly GH¢11 billion earmarked for the expressway in 2025 sits unspent in a dedicated Bank of Ghana account. It added that the Army's clearing is a separate preparatory activity and is not paid for from that money. It did not say what does pay for it.

The $2bn: At the handover, President Mahama said $2 billion is already in a special Bank of Ghana account. Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson has said full project funding will be ready by the end of 2026 and that "not a single pesewa will be borrowed."

The gap: All of that money is for construction, not the clearing. The public record I found doesn't identify which budget line, vote or ministry paid for the Army's fuel, equipment, allowances, or compensation for affected farms and property. Nor does it show whether Parliament approved the spending.

Why it matters
Appropriation: Under Ghana's Constitution, public money is meant to be spent only with parliamentary authority. If the clearing was funded from the Ghana Armed Forces' own allocation, from a reallocation, or from a contingency vote, Parliament and the public should be told which.

Cost: The project is estimated at roughly $4 billion, and the President has said the Engineers Regiment will now serve as a major subcontractor.

Without a published cost for the clearing, there is no baseline for judging value for money in that arrangement.

Compensation: Chief of Defence Staff Lt Gen William Agyapong told troops in May to be sure farms and properties had been assessed by valuers before they were destroyed. Who is paying those affected, and how much, also deserves an answer.

Political sensitivity: Ato Forson was Acting Minister for Defence when the Army was deployed. That makes it fair to ask him for a clear account of the funding path.

What to ask
Ghana's Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Defence and the Ghana Armed Forces can settle this quickly by publishing:

The total cost of the clearing.
The source of funds, with the relevant budget line.

Whether Parliament was informed or approved.

The compensation paid to affected property owners.

Until they do, one of the country's most celebrated infrastructure milestones rests on an unexplained line in the accounts.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)

[email protected]
+233555275880

Sources
The Daily Searchlight, front page, September 28, 2026

Graphic Online: "Controller says GH¢11 billion earmarked for Accra-Kumasi Expressway in 2025 not yet spent" (July 16, 2026)

Graphic Online: "President Mahama to cut sod for Accra-Kumasi Expressway before Christmas"

Graphic Online: "Full funding for Accra-Kumasi Expressway to be ready by ending of 2026 – Ato Forson"

Citi Newsroom: "Accra-Kumasi Expressway: GAF hands over 175.6km right-of-way to govt" (September 2026)

GBC Ghana Online: "$2bn Secured for Accra-Kumasi Expressway – President Mahama"

GhanaWeb: "Accra-Kumasi Expressway begins as military clear 17.75km land for project" (May 6, 2026)

SBM Intelligence: "Road money arrives before the road"