We Need $271.7 Billion to Expand Roads, Finance Minister Says

Ghana requires an estimated $271.7 billion to expand its road network from 78,401 kilometers in 2016 to 253,000 kilometers by 2047, Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam announced yesterday. This ambitious target, outlined in the Ghana Infrastructure Plan, also aims to increase paved roads to 70 percent, enhance urban connectivity with multi-lane carriageways, and construct long-span bridges across the Volta Lake.

Dr. Amin Adam disclosed at a forum on road financing in Accra that achieving these targets would necessitate approximately $9 billion annually. Additionally, $1.3 billion per year will be required for road maintenance and improvements. Since January 2024, GH¢10 billion (around $660 million) has been invested in the road network, with another GH¢7.6 billion (about $509 million) planned for future projects.

As the nation’s population grows at about two percent annually, the urgency to provide efficient public services and reliable infrastructure has increased. Dr. Amin Adam emphasized the government’s coordinated approach, as detailed in the Ghana Infrastructure Plan 2018-2047, to address the country’s infrastructure challenges.

Key initiatives such as the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) and the forthcoming Economic Roads Improvement Initiative aim to fund roads linking critical productivity areas like agricultural zones and tourist sites. Despite these efforts, Dr. Amin Adam acknowledged that public sector funding alone would not suffice to close the infrastructure gap.

He praised the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) for its commitment but stressed the need for more private-sector involvement. The minister highlighted the importance of creating a conducive environment for investors by reducing bureaucratic hurdles and leveraging pension funds, which reached nearly GH¢50 billion last year, for infrastructure projects.

A revised framework for road and bridge tolls, set for 2025, is one of the measures being considered to mitigate commercial risks and attract more private financing.

Robert Taliercio O’Brien, Country Director of the World Bank, noted Ghana’s significant road project pipeline, ranking second in the sub-region and 38th globally in terms of project value. He commended the country’s progress but acknowledged ongoing macroeconomic challenges affecting the completion of some road projects.