One of the issues that was hugely debated on during the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration was the amount of new roads the government had constructed since it took over office on January 7, 2017.
Akufo-Addo, in one of his State of the Nation addresses, claimed that his government had constructed an unprecedented 11,000 kilometres km of new roads since 2017, which was refuted by a number of experts who asserted that the figures were grossly exaggerated.
Now Ghanaians get to know the exact kilometres of new roads constructed by the Akufo-Addo government.
Speaking at his vetting at Parliament on Monday, January 20, 2025, Minister of Roads and Highways-designate, Kwame Governs Agbodza, disclosed that the records the Akufo-Addo government handed over to the John Dramani Mahama administration showed that the previous government constructed less than 700 km of new roads.
“He made us aware of a certain figure of new roads at that time. It wasn't pleasant to try to contradict the president because his sources of information are better than mine. But the figure 11,000 km just jumped out as new roads. And my side said that was a bit less than the truth. Since then, the agencies under the road ministry attempted to adjust the figure. And you remember our view was that only 617 km of roads were new roads at that time.
“At the transition, they provided details. At the time of the transition, the new roads constructed were 673 km, which is not far from the 617 km we talked about at that time, because it means that a few more routes have been completed. So, that issue is in the record of Parliament that indeed Ghana did not construct 11,000 km of new roads since 2017. Rather, 673 km have been constructed as new roads."
He added, “The bulk of the work in the 13,624.25 km is re-gravelling and gravelling - that is 6,185.90 km. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”
Watch videos from the minister-designate's vetting below:
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