The Minister for Roads and Highways, Mr. Kwame Agbodza, has announced an increase in fines for overloaded trucks from GHS 5,000 to GHS 50,000 as part of new Axle Load Reforms aimed at reducing road damage and enhancing safety.
The Minister explained that the Ministry would expand penalties beyond drivers to include the owners of the goods being transported.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday in Accra, he emphasised that this initiative would end the misuse of the axle load regime, which is a major cause of road deterioration in the country.
“Our goal is to bring axle loading breaches down to zero. Losing half of your goods due to overloading will encourage compliance in the future,” he stated.
Mr. Agbodza indicated that under the new policy, part of the overloaded cargo will be confiscated and auctioned, with the proceeds directed to the Road Maintenance Trust Fund to support road infrastructure development.
In response to accusations of regional bias in President Mahama’s Big Push Initiative, the Minister clarified that all sixteen regions are receiving an equitable share of road development projects.
He described the Big Push as a nationwide effort to improve road connectivity and stimulate economic growth evenly across the country.
“The Big Push Initiative is not constituency-specific; it will be implemented in every region. We have distributed the projects in a way that ensures equity and enhances regional integration through an efficient road network. Every region has a ‘Big Push’ project. No region has been left behind,” Mr. Agbodza stated.
Margaret Adjeley Sowah, ISD
