The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza has described the Accra-Kumasi Expressway as one of the most consequential transport projects in Ghana’s history, saying it will serve as a strategic corridor for economic growth and national development.
According to the Minister, the project goes beyond the construction of another road, as it is designed to improve mobility between Ghana’s two largest urban and economic centres, Accra and Kumasi.
He said the expressway is expected to reduce travel time and logistics costs, improve road safety and strengthen the movement of people, goods and services across the country.
The Minister said the project forms part of President John Mahama’s Big Push infrastructure agenda, which focuses on investing in major infrastructure projects capable of unlocking economic activity.
He explained that the Big Push seeks to move beyond fragmented interventions and deliberately invest in infrastructure that connects production centres to markets, supports the 24-hour economy, creates jobs and raises productivity.
“Roads are not an end to themselves. They are the platform on which agriculture, trade, industry, tourism and social development move,” he said.
The Minister noted that the Accra-Kumasi corridor has, for decades, carried a disproportionate share of the country’s traffic, with population growth, trade and increased commercial activity placing growing pressure on the existing N6 highway.
He said the situation required a more sustainable intervention rather than continued patching and incremental widening of the existing road.
“The answer cannot be endless patching and incremental widening alone,” he said.
The Accra-Kumasi Expressway is therefore being positioned as a key infrastructure project to improve connectivity between the country’s major economic centres while supporting trade, industry and other economic activities along the corridor.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Mavis Fantevi
