Accra-Kumasi Expressway: Mahama promises groundbreaking before christmas

President John Dramani Mahama has assured Ghanaians that construction of the much-anticipated Accra-Kumasi Expressway will officially begin before Christmas 2026.

The President said the government is determined to move the project from the preparatory stage to actual construction before the end of the year.

Speaking at the official handover of the cleared Right-of-Way for the project at Kwaso, near Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, on Monday, September 14, 2026, President Mahama said the necessary processes for selecting a contractor were already underway.

He said the government had issued an Expression of Interest for companies interested in undertaking the project and had given them four weeks to submit their proposals.

“After they express their interest, we will do the pre-qualification and then in an express manner we will select the contractor,” he said.

President Mahama said he expected to return to Kwaso before the end of the year to officially cut the sod for construction to begin.

“It is my expectation that we will return here before the end of the year and come and cut the sod for work on the Accra-Kumasi Expressway to start,” he said.

The President later gave a more specific commitment, promising that the groundbreaking ceremony would take place before Christmas.

“As I have said, we will be back here before Christmas, before we celebrate Christmas. That will be the special Christmas present for Nananum and this nation,” he said.

The announcement was made after the Ghana Armed Forces completed the clearing of 175.6 kilometres of the Right-of-Way for the project.

The military was given 20 weeks to complete the task but finished the assignment in 19 weeks, one week ahead of schedule.

President Mahama commended the Engineers Regiment for what he described as a major achievement, particularly given the difficult terrain involving forests, rivers and streams.

President Mahama also announced that US$2 billion had been set aside to finance the Accra-Kumasi Expressway.

He said the funds were already being held in a special account at the Bank of Ghana and assured that financing would not become an obstacle once construction starts.

“The money is ready. It is sitting in a special account at the Bank of Ghana. So when this project starts, money is not going to be the problem,” he said.

According to the President, the financing is being provided from Ghana’s own resources rather than through external borrowing.

“This is our own money. We have not gone to borrow money from anywhere. This money is the money of the taxpayers of Ghana,” he added.