Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has said that his office will no longer award unapproved and indiscriminate road contracts.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series, the Minister vowed to clean up the sector, describing the previous system as a chaotic free-for-all where contracts were handed out without planning, transparency, or budgetary control.
“There was almost an uncontrolled level of contract awards,” Agbodza said. “Every day, people come to me with packages, just throwing them in front of me, expecting approval. That era is over. We’re pressing reset.”
Under the new regime, Agbodza said only road projects that are properly planned, costed, and included in the national budget will be approved.
He made it clear that the government, under President Mahama, is committed to restoring discipline and fiscal responsibility to public infrastructure development.
“We will only go ahead with projects that have been programmed and budgeted for. No more backdoor deals. No more ghost contracts,” he said.
The Minister’s stance appears to mark a sharp break from the past, where multiple governments and contractors have been accused of inflating road contracts, abandoning projects, or initiating new ones without proper funding, leaving the country littered with uncompleted roads and mounting debt.
“I am pleading with everyone who wants to play a role in the road sector, if your project is not in the budget, don’t bother. The days of uncontrolled, unregulated contract awards are far gone.”
This declaration comes at a critical time as the government faces mounting pressure to improve road infrastructure while managing debt sustainably.
“We’re not against building roads. We’re against building chaos,” Agbodza said further.
