Roads and Highways Minister Governs Kwame Agbodza has blamed slow progress on several major road projects on outstanding government payment arrears, insisting contractors should not be faulted for delays.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show followed by The High Street Journal, Agbodza said many contractors remained on site but were unable to accelerate work because they were owed for completed certificates, largely due to financing disruptions caused by Ghana’s debt restructuring programme.
“In several cases, contractors did not abandon site. They moved into phases such as haulage, material treatment and procurement, which are less visible to the public,” the minister said, urging commuters to distinguish between inactivity and preparatory work.
He cited projects including sections of the Accra beach road, the motorway stretch near Central University, and parts of Tema and Dansoman, where public frustration has grown over perceived inactivity. According to the minister, some of these projects are tied to external loan agreements, limiting the government’s ability to simply replace contractors.
Agbodza said the government is gradually clearing arrears, allowing contractors to regain liquidity and scale up operations. He noted that once payments are stabilised, construction phases that require continuous work, such as asphalt laying, would progress more rapidly.
The minister acknowledged public anger over traffic congestion and deteriorating road conditions but said the current situation marks a shift from previous years when projects were fully stalled.
“What is different now is that work is ongoing, even if the pace is slow,” he said, adding that the ministry’s focus is to expedite payments and supervision to shorten the period of inconvenience.
He also linked delayed routine maintenance, including pothole repairs and road markings, to unpaid obligations under the Road Maintenance Fund, warning that minor defects had worsened into major hazards as contractors halted work.
The government, he said, is prioritising payments to maintenance firms to prevent further deterioration while larger projects regain momentum.
