Accra-Kumasi Expressway: President Mahama targets 120km/h speed, two-hour journey

President John Dramani Mahama has projected a major reduction in travel time between Accra and Kumasi when the planned Accra-Kumasi Expressway is completed.

The President said the 198.7-kilometre, six-lane expressway is designed to allow motorists to travel at speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour, potentially cutting the journey between Ghana’s two largest cities to about two hours.

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 new road would provide a significantly faster alternative to the existing Accra-Kumasi Highway.

“If you know the old alignment, which is the Accra-Kumasi Highway, it’s different from the Accra-Kumasi Expressway,” he said.

President Mahama noted that the existing route from Accra to Kumasi is about 270 kilometres, meaning the new expressway would reduce the travelling distance by almost 70 kilometres.

He said motorists travelling at an average speed of 100 kilometres per hour could make the journey in approximately two hours, compared with the five to six hours currently spent on the old highway.

“When this expressway is finished, you can leave Kumasi at 6 a.m. and you’ll be in Accra by 8 a.m, and then you set off at 5 p.m. in the evening and by 7 p.m. you’ll be home,” President Mahama said.

The President explained that the expressway would have three lanes in each direction, allowing vehicles to maintain appropriate speeds and reducing conflicts between heavy and light vehicles.

He said slower-moving vehicles, including heavy trucks, would be expected to use the outer lane, while faster-moving vehicles could use the inner lane.

The project will also include eight interchanges to connect motorists to communities and other major roads along the route.

Four rest stops are also planned, where motorists will be able to refuel, eat, rest and access other services before continuing their journey.

President Mahama said the expressway would incorporate several features aimed at improving road safety.

Tow trucks would be stationed along the route to respond quickly to vehicles that break down and remove them from the carriageway.

CCTV cameras would also be installed along the road to monitor traffic and identify motorists who engage in reckless driving.

“Those who go on the road and do careless driving, we will see you and we’ll fish you out,” he said.

President Mahama said preparations for the project had reached an advanced stage, with the Ghana Armed Forces having completed the clearing of 175.6 kilometres of the Right-of-Way from Ablekuma in the Greater Accra Region to Sewua in the Ashanti Region.

The military completed the assignment in 19 weeks, one week ahead of the 20-week deadline.

The President said the government had also initiated the process of selecting a contractor and expects to return to Kwaso before Christmas to cut the sod for construction to begin.

He further announced that US$2 billion had been set aside for the project and was being held in a special account at the Bank of Ghana.

According to President Mahama, the expressway is not only intended to shorten travel times but also to strengthen the movement of people and goods and support economic activity between Accra, Kumasi and communities along the corridor.

He described the project as long overdue, arguing that Ghana’s two largest economic centres should have been connected by a modern expressway much earlier.

“It is a shame that for 70 years we have had to have our two largest cities connected by a single carriageway. This is going to change,” he said.