President John Dramani Mahama has strongly defended plans for the Accra–Kumasi Expressway, saying recent traffic congestion on the highway highlights the urgent need for the project.
The President’s comments come in the wake of widespread public frustration after motorists and passengers spent between 12 and 24 hours in traffic on sections of the Accra–Kumasi highway between December 31, 2025, and January 1, 2026.
The gridlock, which affected areas including Juaso, Asankari, and Dwaso, was linked to large-scale church events that drew thousands of worshippers from across the country.
Despite explanations from the Ministry of Roads and Highways that the congestion was a one-off occurrence, Mahama maintains that the incident exposes deeper structural challenges and reinforces the need for a modern expressway between Accra and Kumasi.
Speaking on the flagship infrastructure initiative under his government’s Big Push agenda at the annual new year school conference in Accra on Tuesday, January 6, Mahama said critics of the proposed expressway would better understand its necessity if they had experienced the severe traffic gridlock recorded over the New Year period.
According to the President, a single church convention brought traffic on the Accra–Kumasi road to a standstill for more than seven hours, underscoring the limitations of the existing road network linking Ghana’s two largest cities.
Accra is the capital and the country’s biggest city, while Kumasi is the second largest. Mahama described it as unacceptable that the two major economic hubs are connected largely by a single-lane highway, warning that such conditions hinder movement, commerce, and national development.
He assured Ghanaians that the situation would soon be a thing of the past, revealing that preparations are underway to cut sod for the construction of the Accra–Kumasi Expressway early this year.
“One of the iconic projects under our big push is going to be the Accra-Kumasi Expressway. And for those who have spoken against this Expressway, I wish that they were in the traffic jam over the new year when one single church holding a convention brought the Accra-Kumasi road into gridlock for more than seven hours.
“Accra is the biggest city in Ghana and the capital. Kumasi is the next biggest city in Ghana, and the traffic between these two cities is a shame that we have a single-lane road linking our two major cities. This will be a thing of the past, and I am looking forward to cutting sod early this year for the construction.”
