Ghana is on the path of rapid decentralized development, decongestion, and economic expansion if the government’s Big Push Agenda is executed well.
This is the belief of building and construction engineer, Abdulai Mahama. The engineer, with about 25 years of experience, is throwing his support behind the government’s Big Push Agenda, describing it as a transformative development strategy capable of decentralizing economic growth, opening up underserved communities, and accelerating national expansion if implemented effectively.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The High Street Journal, Ing. Mahama confirmed that road infrastructure remains one of the strongest drivers of economic transformation, insisting that the impact of road construction extends far beyond transportation.
According to him, roads have historically acted as magnets for investment, commerce, settlement expansion, and social development across Ghana. In essence, road construction, he says, serves as a catalyst that pulls other sectors of the economy along.
“I think the government’s Big Push Agenda is laudable,” he stated. “The more we expand our communities, the more we have options, the more we improve our agriculture, the more we improve development.”
Drawing from over two decades of experience in road construction, Ing. Mahama explained that infrastructure development consistently triggers rapid economic activity in areas connected by new roads.
“I’ve done road construction for the past 24 years, and I’ve seen time without number that every road that has been part of construction, when the road is completed or even before it is completed, development monumentally happens in that corridor,” he emphasized.
The views of Ing. Mahama reinforce a growing argument among infrastructure experts that roads are not merely physical assets but economic enablers that shape patterns of trade, migration, investment, and industrial growth.
Across many parts of Ghana, communities that were once isolated have experienced significant transformation after gaining access to improved road networks. New businesses emerge, land values rise, transport costs reduce, and access to schools, healthcare, and markets improves considerably.
For farming communities, especially, improved roads often become the difference between post-harvest losses and profitable trade. Farmers are able to transport produce faster and cheaper to urban markets, while traders and agribusinesses gain easier access to rural production zones.
Ing. Mahama believes this is where the true value of the Big Push Agenda lies. In his view, expanding road infrastructure can help shift development away from the overburdened urban centers and spread economic opportunities more evenly across the country.
“The more we widen our network, the more we decongest,” he noted. “We decentralize our development. We decentralize to enhance our economy.”
For years, there have been concerns over congestion in major cities such as Accra and Kumasi. The relatively abundant infrastructure forces rapid urbanization, putting pressure on infrastructure, and hence resulting in uneven regional development.
The engineer believes the Big Push could be an antidote to this over-congestion. If properly executed, it can stimulate regional industrialization by connecting production hubs to ports, markets, and processing centers.
Improved connectivity also reduces travel time, boosts productivity, and encourages private sector participation in previously neglected areas.
