The proposed Accra–Kumasi Expressway represents one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects being pursued under President John Dramani Mahama’s administration. If successfully completed to the planned standard, the project could significantly transform transportation, commerce and economic activity between Ghana’s two major cities.
For decades, travelling between Accra and Kumasi has been characterised by congestion, dangerous sections of road, long travel times and frequent accidents. A modern expressway connecting the national capital with the Ashanti Regional capital could therefore be much more than another road project—it could become an important economic corridor for the country.
The Vision: Accra to Kumasi in About Two Hours
President Mahama has said the planned expressway is intended to reduce the Accra–Kumasi journey to approximately two and a half hours, with construction expected to begin in 2026. The proposed project forms part of the government’s wider Big Push infrastructure programme.
This distinction is important because some social-media posts have claimed the journey will take less than two hours. That should not yet be presented as an established government target. The publicly reported target is around 2.5 hours.
Even achieving that would represent a major improvement for motorists, commercial transport operators and businesses moving goods between southern and northern Ghana.
More Than Just a Road
The importance of the Accra–Kumasi corridor goes far beyond travelling convenience.
A modern expressway could reduce transportation costs, improve the movement of agricultural produce, facilitate trade, attract investment and provide better connectivity between communities along the corridor.
For Kumasi and the wider Ashanti Region, improved connectivity with Accra could also strengthen business opportunities and support industries that depend on efficient transportation.
Road safety must equally be central to the project. Ghana should not measure the success of the expressway solely by how quickly vehicles can travel between Accra and Kumasi. A great expressway must also be a safe expressway.
Mahama and the Infrastructure Question
President John Dramani Mahama has long associated his political leadership with infrastructure development. His current administration’s renewed focus on roads, transport and other major public infrastructure projects provides another opportunity to demonstrate whether that reputation can translate into sustainable projects that deliver long-term value.
Supporters may regard the Accra–Kumasi Expressway as further evidence of Mahama’s development-oriented leadership. Comparisons with Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, however, ultimately remain matters of political and historical judgment.
What should unite Ghanaians is the desire to see major national projects succeed regardless of which political party initiates them.
Ghana Cannot Be Built in a Day
Development is a process. Ghana cannot solve decades of infrastructure challenges within one presidential term.
Governments should therefore be criticised when necessary, but progress should equally be acknowledged when it occurs. Our politics must gradually move beyond the mentality that everything initiated by an opposing political party must automatically be condemned.
Likewise, infrastructure projects should not become abandoned monuments whenever governments change. If an existing project is beneficial to Ghana, the next administration should improve and complete it rather than abandon it merely because another government started it.
The Accra–Kumasi Expressway should therefore be viewed as a national investment rather than the property of any political party.
If President Mahama’s administration delivers the project according to specification, within reasonable cost and with transparency and accountability, it could become one of the important infrastructure legacies of his administration.
Ultimately, the greatest beneficiaries should not be politicians or political parties.
The beneficiaries must be the people of Ghana. 🇬🇭
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