Big Push road agenda fully funded for 2025–2026 – Kwakye Ofosu

Minister of State in Charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has dismissed claims that the government’s Big Push road agenda is struggling due to a lack of mobilisation payments to contractors.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s Face to Face on Tuesday, December 9, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said the government’s decision not to issue upfront mobilisation fees was deliberate, explaining that past experiences showed some contractors failed to execute projects after receiving mobilisation funds.

He stressed that under the new approach, contractors will be paid promptly once they submit duly certified certificates for completed work.

“We have said that we will not pay mobilisation fees because there are instances where contractors were paid and did not do the work. However, if a contractor raises a certificate after doing the work and it is certified to reflect the actual work done, within 30 days the certificates will be honoured,” he said.

According to him, those claiming the Big Push is behind schedule due to the absence of mobilisation funding are “clearly wrong,” noting that GHC30 billion has already been allocated for Big Push roads for 2026 alone.

Mr. Kwakye Ofosu revealed that the government has earmarked at least GHC43 billion for road infrastructure since assuming office—GHC13.9 billion in 2025 and GHC30 billion in 2026.

“One of the major campaign promises President John Dramani Mahama put before the people was the Big Push agenda. Since coming to power, at least GHC43 billion has been earmarked for that expenditure,” he said.

He disclosed further that the Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has nearly US$1 billion set aside exclusively for these road commitments.

On the status of ongoing works, he said about 30 different road projects are currently at various stages of construction. Some were inherited from the previous administration without funding, he added, but have now been incorporated into the Big Push framework.

Touching on key national projects, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu described the Accra–Kumasi corridor as a major priority, lamenting the decades-long delays and rising dangers posed by the current route.

“The Accra–Kumasi road has been a long-standing bottleneck and has become a death trap. There was always some digging or construction, but it never gets completed,” he said.

He announced that government is advancing plans for a new 197-kilometre modern expressway to provide a safer, faster alternative between the two cities.

“This will be a modern expressway with facilities that will aid rapid movement between Accra and Kumasi. Every country that has developed has done so by creating expansive infrastructure that facilitates the movement of goods and people,” he added.