Keypoints:
- $1.7bn secured in dedicated account
- Military clears 70 percent of corridor
- Procurement begins in September
GHANA has placed $1.7bn in a dedicated Bank of Ghana account for the planned Accra-Kumasi Expressway, as Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson announced fresh timelines for route clearance, engineering work and procurement during the 2026 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review.
The update moves the flagship Big Push project closer to contracting, although major construction has not begun. The next tests will be transparent procurement, fair compensation for affected communities and tight cost control on one of Ghana’s most ambitious transport projects.
Main corridor to cover 176km
Forson told Parliament on Thursday that the main expressway corridor would run for about 176 kilometres, providing a six-lane, bidirectional road between Accra and Kumasi, Ghana’s two largest commercial centres.
He described the scheme as ‘the flagship project under the Big Push Programme’, underlining its importance to President John Mahama’s infrastructure agenda.
Earlier government descriptions placed the complete scheme at about 198.7 kilometres when urban connecting roads and related sections in Accra and Kumasi were included.
The expressway is expected to feature interchanges, bridges, intelligent transport systems, electronic tolling, emergency-response facilities and rest areas. The government says it could cut travel time between the two cities to about two hours while easing congestion, improving safety and lowering transport costs.
The project sits at the centre of Mahama’s Big Push infrastructure expansion, which seeks to channel petroleum income and mineral royalties into major national assets.
Funds held pending contract award
Forson said $1.7bn had been deposited into the dedicated Accra-Kumasi Expressway Account at the Bank of Ghana by July 22, 2026.
‘The funds have been ring-fenced,’ he told Parliament, adding that the money would be used only after the main construction contract had been awarded.
The clarification follows public debate over whether funds allocated to the project had already been spent. The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department said earlier in July that nearly GH¢11bn remained in a dedicated account and had not been paid to a contractor or used for construction.
Forson had previously said the government intended to finance the estimated $4bn project without new borrowing.
‘We’ll fund it without borrowing,’ he said at a business forum in May.
The approach reflects the government’s plan to use resource earnings to support the $10bn Big Push programme rather than spreading the proceeds thinly across recurrent expenditure.
Military clears 70 percent of route
The Ghana Armed Forces had cleared 122 kilometres of the proposed corridor within 12 weeks by July 22, representing about 70 percent of the 120-metre-wide right of way, Forson said.
The remaining sections are expected to be cleared by the first week of September. Compensation assessments, environmental studies, feasibility work and detailed engineering designs are proceeding alongside the clearance exercise.
Forson said the feasibility study and designs should be completed by the end of August, with procurement for the main construction contract ‘commencing in September 2026’.
Procurement faces scrutiny
Forson did not name a contractor or announce a firm construction start date. He said the government was ‘confident that all the requirements’ would be ready before Mahama formally launched construction.
For commuters, transport operators and businesses, the potential benefits are substantial. Faster journeys could reduce vehicle operating costs and strengthen trade links between southern and central Ghana.
The project will also test whether Ghana can turn natural-resource income into productive infrastructure without the delays and escalating costs that have affected previous schemes.
Similar regional ambitions are driving the $15bn Abidjan-Lagos Highway, designed to improve trade and transport across West Africa’s coastal economies.
Delivery will ultimately depend on open procurement, credible compensation, strong supervision and strict cost controls once construction begins.
