President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces will serve as the major sub-contractor on the Accra-Kumasi Expressway project, while directing the unit to commence preparations for clearing the right-of-way for a new Accra Orbital.
The announcement came during a formal ceremony at Kwaso, near Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, where the Ghana Armed Forces handed over 175.6 kilometres of cleared right-of-way to the government for the construction of the 198.7-kilometre Accra-Kumasi Expressway.
A Historic Milestone
The cleared stretch, undertaken by the 48 Engineer Regiment, represents a major preparatory milestone towards the construction of what has been described as Ghana’s first modern six-lane, bi-directional Class A expressway. The new alignment is expected to reduce the current distance between Accra and Kumasi from about 250 kilometres to 198.7 kilometres, halve travel time between the two cities, and reduce transport costs by nearly 40 percent.
The project forms part of the government’s Big Push infrastructure programme and is expected to create more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction. It will feature major interchanges, service areas, bridges, and automated tolling facilities, with the route passing through the Greater Accra, Eastern, and Ashanti Regions.
Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, described the Accra-Kumasi Expressway as the single largest capital investment by any government in the history of Ghana.
48 Engineer Regiment’s Expanding Role
The 48 Engineer Regiment, a specialised combat engineer unit based in Teshie, Accra, has been at the forefront of the expressway’s preparatory works. In June 2026, President Mahama announced that the unit had cleared over 70 kilometres of the right-of-way, with compensation payments already underway to farmers and property owners along the route.
The unit’s core duties include disaster response, such as emergency flood rescue and evacuation, and infrastructure work including clearing waterways, dredging basins, and removing illegal structures. Beyond the expressway, the Regiment has recently supported the Post-Flood Mitigation Taskforce with equipment for clean-up exercises and the reclamation of the Lafa water retention basin in Accra.
Financial Structuring and Timeline
The Accra-Kumasi Expressway is estimated to cost approximately $4 billion, with a first tranche of $1.7 billion already secured and deposited in a dedicated account at the Bank of Ghana. Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson has stated that the full financing will be available before the end of 2026, with no borrowing required for the project.
The government has established Accra-Kumasi Expressway Limited, a subsidiary of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), as the concessionaire responsible for designing, financing, constructing, operating, and maintaining the road under a long-term concession of up to 50 years. The Ministry of Roads and Highways acts as the Contracting Authority.
President Mahama previously stated that the project is expected to reduce travel time between Accra and Kumasi to approximately 2.5 hours, describing it as “Ghana’s first true expressway”. The project is expected to be completed within three years.
The New Accra Orbital
The President’s directive for the 48 Engineer Regiment to prepare for clearing the right-of-way for the New Accra Orbital signals a broader infrastructure push in the Greater Accra Region. While specific details of the Orbital project were not immediately disclosed, the move aligns with the government’s Big Push agenda, which has seen over 50 major road projects covering 1,144 kilometres commence at an estimated cost of GH¢50 billion.
The Accra Orbital is expected to complement the Accra-Kumasi Expressway by improving connectivity around the capital and easing congestion on major arterial routes. The government has already demonstrated its willingness to deploy military engineers for critical infrastructure preparatory works, with the 48 Engineer Regiment’s performance on the expressway described by President Mahama as “a fantastic job”.
Background and Context
The Accra-Kumasi corridor has long been a bottleneck for trade and transportation between Ghana’s two largest cities. In January 2026, President Mahama cited a New Year traffic gridlock that left motorists stranded for up to 24 hours as evidence of the urgent need for the expressway, describing the single-lane road linking Accra and Kumasi as “a shame”.
Roads and Highways Minister Governs Kwame Agbodza has described the expressway as a “generational intervention,” adding that the government’s vision is to undertake a project that will leave a lasting legacy for future generations. He compared the initiative to major infrastructure projects undertaken during the administration of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, including the Tema Motorway and the development of the port.
With the right-of-way now formally handed over, the government is expected to move to the next stage of the project: finalising the full detailed design and commencing the procurement process to select qualified contractors for the construction phase. The announcement of the 48 Engineer Regiment as a major sub-contractor suggests the military engineers will continue to play a significant role in the project’s execution, beyond the preparatory clearing works.
