'The Expressway is beyond Kumasi; it is building a country’ - Ato Forson

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson says the Accra-Kumasi Expressway is intended to do more than connect Ghana’s two largest cities, describing it as the first stage of a broader plan to improve transport links between the country’s southern and northern regions.

Speaking in an interview on Ahenfie FM in Kumasi on Monday, September 14, Dr Forson said the Government’s vision was to develop a major transport corridor stretching from south to north.

“The Accra-Kumasi Expressway is not just a road linking the capital city and second largest city, Kumasi. No. It is far from that. The intention of government is to open the country up, from South to North,” he said.

Dr Forson explained that the first phase would connect Accra to Kumasi, while a second phase would involve construction of the Kumasi Outer Ring Road, also known as the Kumasi Orbital Road.

“After this is done, the President will announce the second phase, then we continue to Tamale,” he said.

He said extending the corridor to Tamale would create a major north-south connection and lay the foundation for wider economic transformation.

“That means that you have successfully connected the country from the South to the North. That is the beginning of transformation,” he said.

The Finance Minister stressed that the project’s significance should not be measured only by the distance it covers between Accra and Kumasi.

“The Expressway is beyond Kumasi. It is building a country,” he said.

Dr Forson said Ghana had made insufficient progress in developing major national road infrastructure since the construction of the Accra-Tema Motorway under the country’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, in the early 1960s.

“Let’s call a spade a spade, we have not done well as a country,” he said.

“After Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah in the early 60s built Accra-Tema Motorway, 19km, what have we done ourselves as the new generation?” he asked.

He said the expressway should be considered part of a long-term national infrastructure strategy, rather than simply a project to improve travel between Accra and Kumasi.

The 48 Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces has cleared 175.6 kilometres of the proposed corridor in 19 weeks, one week ahead of the original 20-week schedule.

The cleared stretch runs from Ablekuma in the Greater Accra Region to Sewua in the Ashanti Region, passing through forested areas and across rivers and streams.

According to the Government, the full expressway will cover approximately 198.7 kilometres. It will comprise about 176 kilometres of newly constructed six-lane dual carriageway and roughly 23 kilometres of upgraded connector roads at the Accra and Kumasi ends.

President John Dramani Mahama has described the project as the single largest capital investment by any government in Ghana’s history.

Accra-Kumasi Expressway Limited Managing Director, Engineer Francis Ahlidza, said at the route handover ceremony that the road would be built as a Class A highway, with a three-lane dual carriageway on a 36-metre standard roadbed and a design speed of 120 kilometres per hour.

The planned infrastructure includes eight grade-separated interchanges, 11 vehicle overpasses, 55 mainline bridges, nine at-grade intersections, about 200 box culverts and four service areas.

Once completed, the expressway is expected to reduce the distance between Accra and Kumasi by about 50 kilometres, cut journey time from approximately six hours to two hours, and reduce travel costs by around 40%.

Dr Forson previously told Parliament during the 2026 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review that US$1.7 billion had been deposited into a dedicated Accra-Kumasi Expressway account at the Bank of Ghana and ring-fenced for the project.

At the route handover ceremony, President Mahama said an initial US$2 billion was available to commence the project, with the amount expected to reach US$4 billion by the end of the year to fully finance it.

The Government says an Expression of Interest for the pre-qualification of contractors was published on September 11, 2026, and that the contract is expected to be awarded before the end of the year.