We will prioritise road maintenance this year — Minister

The government will prioritise road maintenance this year to improve the conditions of roads across the country to boost economic growth and enhance the quality of life for citizens, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has stated.

He said it was important to prioritise road maintenance, which played a critical role in the economy.

Speaking during a tour of the various agencies under the Roads Ministry last Monday, Mr Agbodza stressed the need to get to work immediately and not indulge in rhetorics.

“Whatever I’ve said in the past and whatever somebody else said doesn’t matter. What matters today is the roads that are not in good condition, which the people in those areas require us to make sure we improve,” he stated.

Tour

As part of his first working day, the Minister held durbars with staff of the Ministry, the Department of Urban Road, the Department of Feeder Roads and the Ghana Highways Authority.  

He was accompanied by two Technical Advisors, Alhaji Baba Kasim and Dr Shelter Lotsu.

Sustainable road projects

Mr Agbodza stressed the need to ensure that road projects are sustainable and give the country value for money.

“Going forward, we need to make sure that projects are more sustainable. In my view, too many projects started are never completed on time and the government is left to pay huge interest on these sums.

I am going to request your professional view, together with others.

If we can’t pay for certain projects, should we still consider them as active projects or put closure to them and find money and restart them when we can?” he said. 

Decapping of the Roads Fund

The Minister expressed his commitment to advocating for the decapping of the Roads Fund, stating that the current capping is counter-productive to the road sector.

He explained that more than half of the fund is taken by the central government, leading to delayed payments to contractors and increased interest charges.

“We take money from Ghanaians for road maintenance and we take more than half to the central government.

Contractors file their certificates, we don't pay them, and then they charge us interest on delayed payment,” Mr Agbodza stated.

He further pledged to work with staff, contractors and other stakeholders to resolve the challenges facing the road sector, emphasising that it's his responsibility to do so.