Ghana’s Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has revealed that more than 90% of contractors engaged on road projects nationwide are not currently working, despite being in possession of project sites. The minister’s remarks raises concerns about the credibility of reported infrastructure progress and point to deeper structural inefficiencies in the sector.
“More than 90% of road contractors are not on site,” Agbodza said in an interview on Citi FM on Thursday. “When I say they are not on site, I mean they are in possession of the site, but they are not doing any work.”
The assessment follows a nationwide inspection conducted by the Minister shortly after taking office. According to Agbodza, many contractors have initiated projects and submitted payment certificates but have suspended work due to delayed government disbursements.
“In many cases, to be fair to them, they have done some work, raised a certificate, and are expecting that some money be paid so they can continue,” he said. “But once the money has not been repaid, some of them run out of cash and stay on site and do nothing, or abandon the site.”
The Minister made the initial disclosure during the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, where he challenged the infrastructure delivery claims made by the previous administration. He stressed the need for transparency and accurate data in tracking national infrastructure performance, saying, “We need to get to the bottom of what has been awarded, what has been done, and what has been paid for.”
Ghana’s road infrastructure sector faces growing criticism for delays and ballooning arrears. As of mid-2025, the government is grappling with a significant backlog in unpaid certificates to contractors, complicating efforts to accelerate national development and logistics improvements.
Agbodza stressed that systemic issues extend beyond financing. Weak project design, poor contract structuring, and political interference have undermined long-term delivery and accountability.
“The things we have done to ourselves in terms of the kind of contract that we form cannot be blamed only on the developers; it has to be blamed on ourselves,” he said.
He pointed to a governance culture where politicians override technical due process, often rushing or altering project scopes without adequate planning.
“If the project hasn’t gotten to the stage of contracting and you tell [technocrats] to go to the site, I doubt they can defy you and say they will not work on it,” Agbodza said. “It is not always the case that the technocrats have decided to make work difficult for the politician; they will do what you ask them to do.”
The Minister said the government is prioritizing reforms to restore discipline in public infrastructure spending, improve payment cycles, and re-align road projects with national development corridors. The Ministry also aims to reduce political fragmentation in infrastructure planning and introduce more performance-based contracts.
With road infrastructure playing a central role in Ghana’s logistics, agriculture, and intra-regional trade goals, the government is under pressure to deliver tangible improvements and better spending outcomes.
