The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwasi Amoako-Atta, has confirmed President Akufo-Addo’s assertion that 10,875 kilometres of new roads had been constructed since 2017.
Mr Amoako-Atta said in 2017, the total road network of 78,402km was constructed, while as of the end of 2021, the projected road network was 94,203km.
He said the total road network of 78,404 in 2017, comprised 14,583km of trunk roads, 48,583km of feeder roads, and 15,462km of urban roads.
But by 2021, the road network has increased to 94,203km, comprising, 14,948km of trunk roads, 50,777km of feeder roads and 28,480km of urban roads.
President Akufo-Addo in his message on the State of the Nation in Parliament last Wednesday, said some 10,875km of new roads have been constructed in the last 5 years.
This statement made by the President has generated heated public discourse, especially from critics of the government, over the authenticity of the assertion.
They had relied on the Roads and Highways Minister’s answer to a question posed by the MP for Amenfi West, Eric Afful on 15th February 2022 in Parliament, in which the Minister had said a total of 4,263km had been constructed or maintained on paved and unpaved roads between January 2017 and May 2021.
That figure, according to Kwasi Amoako-Atta, did not take into account the ongoing road activities that had not been completed by the end of May 2021.
“As at end of February 2022, a total of 1702km of construction and maintenance activities which were undertaken on paved roads and 4,910km of works on unpaved roads, had been completed.”
Mr Amoako-Atta said over the past 5years, a lot of investment had gone into both paved and unpaved roads to improve riding quality.
The 10,875 kilometres of roads constructed, which was updated at the end of February this year, the Minister stated, had been on both paved and unpaved roads.
These interventions, according to the Roads Minister, had resulted in the improvement in the road condition mix as indicated.
The maintenance of the country’s unpaved network, he said, was critical to the improvement of the road condition mix in the country.
He indicated, however, that majority of roads (over 70%) in the road network were unpaved.
Technically, Mr Amoako-Atta said any activity on the road amounted to “construction” hence, the President’s statement that more roads had been built, improved and upgraded than at any other equivalent period under any government in the history of Ghana was true.
The Minister said on paved roads, key activities that had been undertaken, included minor rehabilitation and upgrading, partial reconstruction and asphalt overlays.
On the unpaved roads, he, however, said activities mainly undertaken included grading, gravelling, regravelling and spot improvement.
The maintenance of the country’s unpaved network, the Roads Minister said, was critical to the improvement of the road condition mix in the country.
He said under a World Bank/European Union project, Transport Sector Improvement Project (TSIP), the World Bank was financing over 800km of feeder roads to gravel finish.
That, he indicated, further illustrated the need for government to invest in the maintenance of the country’s predominant unpaved network.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
