The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) has assured motorists and residents that defects on portions of the Jasikan-Dodo-Pepesu asphalted road would be corrected to improve road safety and ease movement along the Eastern Corridor Road.
Ing. Robert Annan, Road Maintenance Engineer at the Oti Regional Office of the GHA, said the Authority was aware of the defects and had previously undertaken corrective works on the affected sections .
He, however, said the problems had re-emerged, requiring further intervention to restore the affected portions to good condition.
Defects Identified at Multiple Locations
Ing. Annan disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in response to concerns over defects observed at Dzindziso, Dodi-Papase Junction, Okanta and Guaman portions of the Eastern Corridor Road .
He said the contractor working on the Dodo-Pepesu-Nkwanta section of the Eastern Corridor Road would address the defects after completing the ongoing works.
The intervention, he said, would make the affected portions more motorable and improve the safety and convenience of road users.
Ing. Annan assured motorists and residents that the GHA was monitoring the situation and would ensure that the necessary corrective measures were undertaken .
Residents Call for Urgent Action
Mr Hamza Lukman, Assemblyman for the Dzindziso Electoral Area, told the GNA that residents and motorists were concerned about the deteriorating condition of portions of the road.
He said the defects, particularly on sections frequently used by commercial vehicles and other road users, could worsen if not addressed promptly.
Mr Lukman appealed to the GHA and the contractor to expedite the remedial works to prevent further deterioration and possible accidents .
Background: A History of Recurring Defects
The Jasikan-Dodo-Pepesu section forms part of the Eastern Corridor Road, an important route linking communities and facilitating the movement of people and goods within the Oti Region and beyond.
The 56.4-kilometre asphalted Jasikan-Dodo-Pepesu stretch was officially inaugurated on September 8, 2022, by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, then Vice-President of Ghana, marking its opening to vehicular traffic and a significant milestone in efforts to improve connectivity along the corridor .
The stretch was constructed by Sinohydro Corporation Limited at a cost of $45 million .
However, within two years of its commissioning, the road had already begun developing cracks and potholes, raising concerns about the quality of construction and the durability of the road surface.
In October 2024, a Ghana News Agency visit to the Ahamansu Junction stretch of the Eastern Corridor Road in the Kadjebi District observed potholes in the middle of the road harvesting rainfall water .
Mr Solomon Bombor, a taxi driver on the Kadjebi-Nkwanta network, expressed disappointment about the emerging condition of the segment, describing it as “very unfortunate and bad.” He noted that despite advice to the contractors to use pavement blocks given their familiarity with the area’s topography, the contractor failed to heed .
Mr Emmanuel Okang Klu, Ghana Highway Authority Supervising Engineer for the project, explained at the time that heavy traffic of overloading trucks traversing the corridor was contributing to the deterioration. He suggested the establishment of axle-load weighing stations along the corridor to safeguard the road from destruction .
Major National Infrastructure Project
The Eastern Corridor Road is a national route classified as N2 by the Ghana Highway Authority. It starts from the Tema Motorway Roundabout in the Greater Accra Region and ends at Kulungugu in the Upper East Region on the north-eastern border with Burkina Faso .
The road traverses the Greater Accra, Eastern, Volta, Northern and Upper East regions, covering 695 kilometres and connecting major towns such as Tema, Atimpoku, Hohoe, Nkwanta, Bimbila, Yendi, Bawku and Kulungugu .
The route is conceived as a north-south trade corridor, providing a shorter access to the Tema Port and improving integration between the Upper East, Northern and Volta Regions of Ghana and also between Ghana and Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger .
Government Committed to Full Completion by 2027
The government has set a firm deadline for the completion of the Eastern Corridor Road, with the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, assuring Ghanaians that the project will be fully completed by December 2027 .
“It could probably be one of the longest roads as one single road in our country. Unfortunately, whatever happened in the past did not complete all the sections,” Mr Agbodza said in January 2026, adding that “all the sections are under contract” .
The current administration has committed significant resources to the project under the Big Push infrastructure programme. President John Dramani Mahama confirmed that the government allocated more than GH¢13 billion in the programme’s initial phase, with a further GH¢30.8 billion committed this year, bringing total investment in the Big Push to over GH¢40 billion .
Approximately 2,500 kilometres of roads are currently under construction nationwide as part of the programme .
Quality Concerns and Reconstruction Efforts
The government has acknowledged challenges with the quality of work on some sections of the Eastern Corridor Road. In July 2026, Minister Agbodza expressed disappointment over the poor execution of sections of the Asikuma–Have Road project, revealing that approximately 28 kilometres of road already paid for by the state would have to be reconstructed because of substandard workmanship .
The Minister announced that the government would undertake a full reconstruction of sections of the Eastern Corridor Road using asphalt pavement instead of continuing with patch repairs on the existing surface-dressed road .
“We are changing the road base, applying the prime coat before laying the final asphalt surface. This is not a repair of the existing surface dressing,” he said during an inspection of the 46-kilometre Dodo Pepesu–Nkwanta–Dambai Road rehabilitation project .
Funding and Future Development
The government has also secured international funding for major components of the Eastern Corridor Road. In August 2026, the Ghana Highway Authority issued a new invitation for bids for the construction of a new bridge across the Volta River as part of the Eastern Corridor Project, with funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) .
Residents and road users have called for sustained maintenance to ensure the road’s longevity and reduce disruptions to transportation and economic activities.
