The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Agbodza, has cautioned that Ghana’s heavy investment in road construction and rehabilitation will be wasted if overloading on the country’s road network is not addressed.
According to Mr Agbodza, sound engineering and quality construction alone are not sufficient to guarantee the longevity of roads; responsible usage by transport operators and motorists is equally critical.
“If we spend all this money to build or rehabilitate the roads, and allow overloading, the roads will not last,” he said.
He noted that President John Mahama has made a significant commitment to improving road infrastructure nationwide, a pledge he has consistently reiterated during the campaign period and in ongoing engagements with stakeholders.
“The president has already made a huge commitment to the people of Ghana to improve the road network across the country. You heard him personally say that during the campaign and even till today, wherever he goes to meet stakeholders, everybody is talking about the need for the road network wherever they need to improve,” Mr Agbodza stated.
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, the minister said substantial allocations have been made in the national budget for road projects, with core projects already awarded.
He explained that the focus has now shifted to ensuring strict adherence to quality standards by contractors and consultants, including the use of appropriate materials.
“While it is our responsibility to make sure that we specify and insist they use the right materials, it is going to be a collective effort to make sure that when we spend these monies, we actually get the best running in terms of quality materials,” he added.
Mr Agbodza further announced plans to roll out a stakeholder-driven campaign aimed at curbing overloading on the road network. The initiative will engage transport operators, hawkers and other road users to encourage compliance with regulations.
“We don’t want it to be punitive measures. We want it to be stakeholder driven, so we are going to launch a campaign to bring stakeholders, hawkers, transporters, everybody on board to make sure when the core of the policy comes out it can be implemented and everybody will abide to reduce unnecessary overloading on our roads to prolong the lifespan of the road as we expect it to be,” he said.
He stressed that the initiative is designed to safeguard Ghana’s investment in road infrastructure and ensure the network remains durable and functional for years to come.
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