President John Dramani Mahama has inspected progress of work on the Kasoa-Winneba road project, expressing satisfaction with the quality of work on the ground and projecting that the entire stretch will be open to traffic by the end of 2026 or in the first quarter of 2027 at the latest.
The President made the inspection on Thursday, acknowledging the frustration of commuters who have had to endure disruptions since construction began but urging patience, saying the inconvenience was a necessary price for a better road network.
“I have inspected the road, seen the progress of work, the quality of work, and I think that the contractor has done a good job,” Mahama said, adding that the progress reinforced his confidence in the capacity of Ghanaian contractors to deliver world-class projects on par with any international firm.
He said the middle concourse of the road was expected to be opened within three to four weeks, which would allow traffic heading towards Cape Coast, Winneba and Mankesim to use the central carriageway rather than the side roads, freeing up the sides for workers to complete construction more quickly.
The President explained that the Kasoa-Winneba project was part of a wider plan to open the entire coastal corridor. The same contractor handling the Kasoa-Winneba stretch has also been awarded the Winneba to Mankesim dualization contract, and a separate contract has been awarded for the Mankesim to Cape Coast road, meaning commuters will eventually have a smooth ride all the way to the Central Regional capital.
“Central Region is an attractive place for investment and tourism, but because of the constriction in the road network, it has been very difficult for people to open up their investments towards the Central Region,” Mahama said, adding that completing the corridor would attract factories and industries and create jobs for local communities.
He noted that the project had been inherited from the previous administration with work virtually at a standstill because the contractor was owed a significant sum of money.
The government stepped in by placing it under the Big Push programme, which comes with dedicated funding.
President Mahama used the occasion to assure contractors across the Big Push programme that payments were up to date.
“As we speak today, we don’t owe any Big Push contractor a cedi. We have paid them for all the certificates they brought. As you work and bring your certificates, we will keep paying you so that the projects can go at a faster pace,” he said.
He also called on the contractor to pursue community social responsibility projects along the corridor, noting that during the construction of the Kasoa Road, boreholes, schools and a polyclinic were built alongside the road.
“If we are able to meet the communities halfway and provide some of these facilities, they would also feel very much compensated for the construction of the road,” he said.
The President added that once the main highway was complete, he would ask the Roads Minister to look at side roads and feeder roads in the constituencies along the corridor so that communities did not end up with a beautiful highway running through their area while their local roads remained neglected.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
