Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has announced that full funding for the construction of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway will be secured by the end of this year, with no borrowing required—an arrangement he says could mark a historic first for infrastructure financing in Ghana.
“By the end of this year, the full funding for the transformational Accra-Kumasi Expressway will be ready,” Dr Forson stated. “This could be the first time funds for a project of this scale have been fully secured before construction begins. For the avoidance of doubt, not a single pesewa will be borrowed for this project.”
US$1.7 Billion Already Ring-Fenced
The Finance Minister’s announcement follows his earlier disclosure during the 2026 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review that US$1.7 billion had already been secured and deposited into a dedicated Accra-Kumasi Expressway Account at the Bank of Ghana .
The funds have been ring-fenced exclusively for the project and will only be accessed after the award of the main construction contract . The total estimated cost of the project is approximately US$4 billion .
The financing arrangement is being structured through domestic infrastructure resources rather than conventional external borrowing . Government has established the Accra-Kumasi Expressway Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle through the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, to manage the project and address challenges such as funding delays and cost overruns associated with previous infrastructure initiatives .
Armed Forces Nearly Complete Route Clearance
Dr Forson also congratulated the Ghana Armed Forces on the significant progress made in clearing the 176-kilometre route ahead of construction.
“Hearty congratulations to our indefatigable army on a stellar job,” he said.
The Ghana Armed Forces confirmed that only six kilometres of the designated route remain to be cleared. “The finish line is in sight. Out of 176 kilometres of challenging terrain, just 6 KM REMAIN!” the military stated on its official X platform .
The military engineers have pushed through the “challenging terrain” with “absolute grit,” with the race to Sawua “almost won” . The latest update represents a significant acceleration from June 2026, when 89.5 kilometres, representing 50.9 percent of the corridor, had been cleared .
The corridor-clearing exercise, involving the preparation of the 120-metre-wide right-of-way, is a critical preparatory step ahead of major construction works . The military was deployed to clear the route during Dr Forson’s tenure as Acting Minister for Defence, paving the way for the expressway’s construction .
Flagship Project Under Big Push Programme
The Accra-Kumasi Expressway is the flagship project under the government’s Big Push Infrastructure Programme, under which work has commenced on 87 projects across all 16 regions, comprising 74 trunk roads and bridges, 10 urban roads, and 3 feeder roads .
The proposed expressway is an unprecedented six-lane, bidirectional Class A highway spanning 198.7 kilometres—a new alignment rather than an upgrade of the existing N6 highway . It will pass through the Greater Accra, Eastern, and Ashanti regions, featuring 175 kilometres of six-lane carriageway built for speeds of up to 120 km/h, alongside 23 kilometres of four-lane urban connectors at both ends .
Expected Transformational Impact
The access-controlled highway will feature eight major interchanges at locations including Accra Hub, Adeiso, Asamankese, Akyem Oda, Ofoase, Lake Bosomtwe, and Kumasi, as well as three major bridges over the Birim and Pra Rivers .
The expressway is expected to:
· Reduce travel time between Accra and Kumasi to approximately two hours
· Shorten the current travel distance by over 50 kilometres
· Cut transport costs by nearly 40 percent
· Create more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction
· Improve road safety and ease congestion along one of Ghana’s busiest corridors
Beyond improving mobility, the project is expected to stimulate industrial parks, logistics hubs, and service economies along the corridor, boosting Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy and national competitiveness .
Procurement and Next Steps
Feasibility studies, engineering designs, environmental assessments, and compensation processes are ongoing, with procurement for the main construction contract expected to commence in September 2026 . Once fully funded and construction begins, the expressway will represent Ghana’s first modern six-lane, bi-directional expressway, transforming connectivity between the country’s two largest commercial cities .
