Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has announced that the newly passed Road Maintenance Trust Fund Bill, 2025 will provide every district in Ghana with a guaranteed annual allocation for road maintenance.
The bill, passed by Parliament on July 25, is designed to address decades of underfunding and inefficiencies in road upkeep by establishing a dedicated and decentralised fund to finance the maintenance and rehabilitation of public roads, bridges, and related infrastructure.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series, Mr. Agbodza said the new law would remove bureaucratic bottlenecks and put decision-making in the hands of local stakeholders.
“This is a game changer,” the Minister declared. “Once this becomes law, every district will receive a minimum allocation for road maintenance each year. The days of waiting endlessly for central approvals are over.”
The Minister explained that under the new arrangement, funds accrued to the Road Fund will be submitted to Parliament, which will allocate resources in the same structured way as the Common Fund, GETFund, and NHIS Fund. This process, he said, will enhance transparency and ensure equitable distribution of resources.
“More importantly,” he added, “the priorities for maintenance will now be set at the district level. It is the people in the districts who will determine which roads are their priority. That is how we make development more responsive.”
The Road Maintenance Trust Fund Bill also seeks to address long-standing institutional and legal limitations that have hindered the efficiency of the existing Road Fund. With the new framework in place, districts will be empowered not only with funds but also with the capacity to implement maintenance projects locally.
Mr. Agbodza emphasized the government’s commitment to strengthening the technical and institutional capacity of districts to deliver on this new model. He noted that this shift would not only improve road infrastructure but also create jobs and stimulate local economies.
“I see no reason why we cannot train local youth to carry out routine road maintenance. We don’t need to keep importing service providers when we can build that expertise locally,” he said.
The Minister called on local authorities, engineers, and contractors to prepare for a more decentralized and accountable approach to road maintenance, stressing that success would depend on strong local leadership and community involvement.
The Road Maintenance Trust Fund is expected to begin disbursements in the upcoming fiscal year, marking a significant shift in how Ghana funds and manages its road infrastructure.
