President Mahama to cut sod for Accra-Kumasi Expressway before Christmas
President John Dramani Mahama has announced that construction of the new 198.7-kilometre Accra-Kumasi Expressway is expected to begin before Christmas 2026.
President Mahama made the announcement at Kwaso, near Ejisu, on Monday, September 14, 2026, during the handover of the cleared right-of-way for the project by the Ghana Armed Forces.
He said US$2 billion was already available in a special account at the Bank of Ghana to finance the project.
According to the President, the money belongs to Ghanaian taxpayers and was not borrowed.
“This is our own money. We have not gone to borrow money from anywhere,” President Mahama said.
He added that government would raise the remaining funds needed to cover the full project cost by the end of 2026.
President Mahama also assured contractors that government would make prompt payments once construction begins.
He said he plans to return to Kwaso before Christmas to cut the sod for the project, describing the occasion as “a special Christmas present for Nananom and this nation.”
The new expressway will be constructed as a six-lane highway and is expected to reduce travel time between Accra and Kumasi from about five or six hours to approximately two hours.
The project will include two toll interchanges, eight interchanges connecting towns along the route and four rest stops.
It will also have roadside tow trucks and CCTV cameras to help monitor reckless driving and improve road safety.
President Mahama disclosed that space had been reserved within the expressway corridor for a future railway line between Accra and Kumasi, as part of efforts to revive Ghana’s railway network.
Military completes right-of-way clearance
The 48 Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces cleared the right-of-way along the entire stretch of the proposed expressway.
The exercise took the regiment 24 weeks to complete.
In recognition of its work, President Mahama announced that the Engineers Regiment would receive the Order of the Companion of the Volta at the next National Honours ceremony marking Ghana’s 70th independence anniversary.
The President also directed the Minister of Roads and Highways to incorporate the Engineers Regiment as a major subcontractor on the expressway project.
He further tasked the military with clearing the right-of-way for the Greater Accra Ring Road and installing steel bridges across rivers and streams in various parts of the country.
Contractor selection
President Mahama said companies interested in constructing the expressway would have four weeks to express their interest.
Government would then conduct a pre-qualification exercise before selecting a contractor, with the process expected to be carried out quickly.
The project is being managed by Accra Kumasi Expressway Limited, a special purpose vehicle registered under the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund. The company has its own chief executive, management team and governing board.
Beyond the Accra-Kumasi route, President Mahama outlined plans for an expanded expressway network stretching from Aflao in the east to Elubo in the west, alongside planned developments on the Eastern and Western Corridors.
He said work on the Eastern Corridor was expected to be completed by next year.
President Mahama commended the Ministers of Roads and Highways, Finance and Defence, as well as Brigadier General Wiafe and the Military High Command, for their roles in the right-of-way clearance.
He also thanked chiefs, farmers and residents along the corridor for releasing their lands and crops to facilitate the project.
