Mahama assures Wa-Han road will be completed by end of 2027

President John Dramani Mahama has assured residents of the Upper West and Upper East regions that the long-awaited Wa-Han road project will be completed before the end of 2027.

The President gave the assurance during an inspection of the ongoing road project, which is being executed under the government’s flagship Big Push infrastructure programme.

The inspection formed part of President Mahama’s Resetting Ghana Tour of the Upper West Region, where he assessed progress on key development projects and engaged residents and stakeholders.

President Mahama explained that the Wa-Han road was prioritised under the Big Push programme because of its strategic importance to regional connectivity.

According to him, the project links the Upper West Regional capital, Wa, to the Upper East Regional capital, Bolgatanga, making it an important component of Ghana’s trunk road network.

When we’re doing the selection of the Big Push projects, we prioritise roads that link regional capitals. And this is one of the roads that links the Upper East regional capital with the Upper West region. So it’s a very important road indeed,” President Mahama said.

He noted that the road had remained in poor condition for several years, creating frustration among residents and raising doubts about whether the project would ever be completed.

The President, however, expressed confidence that the ongoing works would transform the route and provide motorists with a more comfortable connection between the two regional capitals.

“I believe that today we can see that in just some months, that is before the end of 2027, we will have a very comfortable ride between the two regional capitals,” he said.

President Mahama also commended the contractor working on the project, describing the company as one of Ghana’s oldest construction firms with extensive experience in road development.

He said the contractor’s experience would be important in ensuring that the project progresses steadily towards completion.

The President’s assurance is expected to ease concerns among residents and road users who have endured the challenges associated with the poor condition of the route over the years.

President Mahama further disclosed that government had identified several other roads in the Upper West Region for development.

However, he acknowledged that financial constraints meant the government could not undertake all the projects at the same time.

“I just want to assure people, everybody thinks that we can do all their roads at once. We cannot do that. There’s a limit to the budget that we have,” he said.

He explained that the Big Push programme would consequently be implemented in phases, allowing government to manage available resources while addressing the most strategically important roads first.

“So this Big Push Phase One, we’re scoping Big Push Phase Two, and there’ll be a Big Push Phase Three,” President Mahama said.

The President said government’s immediate priority would be major trunk roads, particularly those connecting regional capitals and other important economic centres.

Once the major road network has been improved, attention would increasingly shift to feeder roads that connect communities to the trunk network.

He said the phased approach would enable government to gradually improve connectivity across the Upper West Region while working within the country’s available financial resources.

The completion of the Wa-Han road is therefore expected to improve the movement of people, goods and services between the Upper West and Upper East regions and strengthen regional economic connectivity.

The project forms part of the government’s broader infrastructure agenda under the Big Push programme, which seeks to accelerate investment in critical roads and other infrastructure across the country.