Agbodza blames seven-year payment delays for Ghana’s street lighting failures

The Roads and Highways Minister-designate, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has attributed the absence of street lights on some streets in Ghana to payment delays of up to 2,464 days for contractors responsible for such projects.

Speaking during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on January 20, 2025, Mr Agbodza responded to questions from Jerry Ahmed Shuaib, MP for Weija-Gbawe, about the poor state of street lighting nationwide.

“It is strange that you drive in parts of our city at night, and the roads are not illuminated well,” Agbodza remarked. “There’s no signage, there’s nothing.”

He explained that delays in paying contractors, coupled with 30 percent interest rates on arrears, have led many banks to withdraw support for financing these projects. “The solution is prompt payment,” Mr. Agbodza stated.

Regarding the ongoing renovation of the Accra-Tema Motorway, he said the project’s contractual framework complicates immediate fixes to lighting issues. “We may have to provide a temporary situation,” he acknowledged, referring to the challenges posed by construction work on the motorway.

Mr Agbodza also highlighted the fragmented responsibility for street lighting, spread across the Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Energy, and local assemblies.

He noted that this division of roles has hindered effective management, citing issues in his own Adaklu constituency as an example.

To resolve the problem, the Minister-designate proposed reforms to the payment system for contractors. However, he stressed that this would require collaboration with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Finance and the Attorney General’s office.