News Guide Africa

Tag: Governs Kwame Agbodza

  • BIG PUSH: Mahama Pleased with Pace of Works on Navrongo-Tumu-Sandema Roads …Applauds female MD of MyTurn Ltd

    BIG PUSH: Mahama Pleased with Pace of Works on Navrongo-Tumu-Sandema Roads …Applauds female MD of MyTurn Ltd

    By Adnan Adams Mohammed 

     

    President John Dramani Mahama today conducted an inspection tour of ongoing construction on the vital Navrongo-Tumu and Navrongo-Sandema highways.

    He expressed strong satisfaction with the pace and quality of work under the government’s flagship BIG PUSH infrastructure programme.

    The tour forms part of the administration’s broader push to transform the northern transport corridor, boosting regional trade, cutting travel times, and spurring local economic growth.

    Praises for Female-Led Construction Firm

    A major highlight of the inspection was the President’s warm commendation for contractor MyTurn Ltd, an indigenous firm headed by Managing Director Hannah Brenda Aneweneh-Boateng, one of the country’s prominent female leaders in the civil engineering sector.

    Impressed by the execution on-site, President Mahama praised the firm for setting an exceptional benchmark for local capacity.

    “What we are witnessing here today is proof of what Ghanaian ingenuity can achieve when given the opportunity,” President Mahama remarked while addressing workers and local authorities. “I am particularly proud of Hannah Brenda Aneweneh-Boateng and MyTurn Ltd. To see a female-led company delivering work of this caliber, with such impressive efficiency, is truly inspiring. She is demonstrating that our women are fully capable of executing major civil engineering projects.”

     

    Responding to the President’s applause, Ms. Aneweneh-Boateng reaffirmed her company’s dedication to meeting tight deadlines without sacrificing quality.

    “We are deeply honored by the President’s words and the confidence placed in MyTurn Ltd,” she stated. “Our team is working tirelessly to ensure this corridor is completed on schedule and built to last. We want to prove that local, female-led enterprises can deliver world-class infrastructure for Ghana.”

     

    Exceeding Targets and Ministry Expectations

    Reinforcing the President’s assessment, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Governs Kwame Agbodza, lauded the construction firm for beating its projected project timeline.

    “The ministry is thoroughly impressed with the speed and professionalism on this stretch,” Hon. Agbodza noted. “MyTurn Ltd has already completed approximately 30% of the overall works, effectively placing them ahead of our projected schedule of 28% for this phase. This level of efficiency is exactly what the BIG PUSH programme stands for.”

     

    Transforming the Northern Belt

    Addressing the gathered chiefs and community members, President Mahama assured the people of the Upper East Region that the current roadworks are only the beginning of a broader developmental wave under the project’s next phase.

    He emphasized that establishing seamless transit across the northern territory remains a top priority for his administration.

    “Our commitment to the people of the Upper East Region is total,” the President declared. “We are determined to ensure that traveling from Bawku through Bolgatanga all the way to Wa is as safe, easy, and fast as it should be. To realize that vision, key connecting routes, particularly from Chuchuliga through Tumu to Wa, will receive the dedicated funding attention they deserve in the second phase of the BIG PUSH.”

     

    Local residents and traders welcomed the news, noting that the completed highways will drastically relieve the transport challenges long faced by farmers, commuters, and businesses in the region.

     

     

     

  • Roads Ministry imposes absolute ban on new projects to stop contractor backlog

    Roads Ministry imposes absolute ban on new projects to stop contractor backlog

    By Adnan Adams Mohammed

     

    In an aggressive move to restore sanity to public procurement, the Ministry of Roads and Highways has introduced a radical policy banning the initiation of any new road projects nationwide.

    Adopting an uncompromising, delivery-first directive, the sector Minister announced an absolute freeze on fresh contract awards, declaring that the state’s full fiscal weight will be redirected solely to completing the immense backlog of active, ongoing infrastructure works before another single inch of ground is broken.

    Rationalizing Expenditure and Clearing Outstanding Backlogs

    According to ministry sources, the decision is a strategic move designed to ensure strict fiscal discipline and build confidence in public procurement. By concentrating state revenue on active construction sites, the ministry aims to rapidly clear its financial obligations to contractors and prevent uncompleted works from deteriorating under weather elements, which often leads to costly contract variations later on.

    The directive is expected to immediately impact the operational planning of the ministry’s key implementing departments, including the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Urban Roads, and the Department of Feeder Roads. Project managers have been directed to strictly audit active sites and enforce rigid timelines against defaulting contractors.

     

    Key Directives Under the New Roads Ministry Policy

    Absolute Freeze: A comprehensive suspension on advertising or awarding new periodic maintenance, upgrading, or resurfacing contracts.

    Delivery-First Approach: Strategic redirection of budgetary allocations to clear certificates of completed phases on active sites.

    Rigid Auditing: Immediate performance evaluation of all existing contractors to identify and rectify bottlenecks causing delays.

    Accountability and Technical Oversight

    The Minister also tasked technical directors and regional engineers to step up field supervision, stressing that the execution-first directive requires zero tolerance for substandard work or artificial delays. While the temporary ban remains absolute for routine structural undertakings, exceptions will be carved out strictly for emergencies, such as sudden bridge collapses or severe washouts that threaten human lives and isolate communities.

    “We owe it to the taxpayer to finish what we started,” the Minister stated, reaffirming that the measure will ultimately protect national resources and guarantee long-term value for money. “Contractors on site must step up their pace. If you are executing a contract for this ministry, your focus must be to complete it, hand it over, and clear the way for others.”

     

  • Gov’t shreds ‘mischievous’ sole-sourcing claims over ‘Big Push’ projects ​

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    The Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwame Governs Agbodza, took a metaphorical sledgehammer to critics in Parliament on Tuesday, dismissing allegations of procurement irregularities within the government’s flagship Big Push Infrastructure Programme.

    ​Addressing the House with a blend of data and defiance, the Minister described claims that the programme is driven by sole sourcing as “mischievous” and a total departure from the facts.

    ​The Data Behind the Deals

    ​In a bid to set the record straight, Hon. Agbodza provided a rare deep dive into the Ministry’s procurement books. He revealed that while critics have painted a picture of closed-door deals, the reality is far more competitive:

    ​Open Tendering: Over 400 contracts have been awarded through open competitive bidding.

    ​Sole Sourcing: Only 44% of major contracts were awarded via sole sourcing—a method the Minister defended as a legal necessity for speed.

    ​Transparency: All contractual details are currently live on the Ministry’s official website for public scrutiny.

    ​“It is misleading for any right-thinking person to conclude that the Ministry only relies on sole sourcing,” Agbodza told a hushed Parliament. “There is no abuse of the law. It is the exception, not the norm.”

     

     

    Reviving the ‘Ghost’ Projects

    ​A significant portion of the Minister’s update focused on the GH¢14.88 billion rescue mission for abandoned infrastructure. According to the Minister, 23 major projects—including the Suame Interchange, Ofankor-Nsawam Road, and the Adenta-Dodowa Road—were inherited from the previous administration in a state of financial cardiac arrest.

     

    ​By incorporating these into the “Big Push” and securing new financing, the government argues it prevented these critical arteries from remaining permanent construction ruins.

     

    ​Speed vs. Red Tape

     

    ​The Minister was candid about the government’s decision to bypass lengthy procurement hurdles for certain projects. He argued that strict adherence to standard timelines would have led to “cost escalations” and deepened the economic hardship of citizens living with deteriorated roads.

     

    ​The Big Push currently spans 12 economic corridors divided into 54 lots, with over 2,000 kilometres of roadwork active across all 16 regions.

     

    ​Guardians of the Purse

     

    ​To counter “value for money” concerns, the Minister outlined a multi-layered defense system:

     

     

    ​In-house Costing: Initial designs and costing are done by state agencies to save billions.

    Independent Assessment: Contractor proposals undergo external value-for-money audits.

    Measurable Pay: A strict “no work, no pay” policy is in place, supported by the Ghana Institution of Surveyors.

    ​Clearing the Arrears

     

    ​In a final jab at the opposition, Agbodza highlighted that the current administration is still cleaning up a GH¢40 billion debt pile inherited in 2024. He disclosed that the government has recently paid out GH¢11 billion to contractors—the largest arrears settlement in Ghana’s history.

     

    ​“The Big Push is delivering the infrastructure Ghanaians demanded,” he concluded. “We must not allow misinformation to derail it.”

  • Heavy Fines Loom for Overloaded Trucks as Ghana Moves to Save its Roads

    Heavy Fines Loom for Overloaded Trucks as Ghana Moves to Save its Roads

    In a bold move to halt the rapid deterioration of Ghana’s multi-billion dollar road infrastructure, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has announced a massive 900% increase in penalties for overloaded trucks.

    Under a new legislative review, the maximum fine for haulage vehicles exceeding legal weight limits will jump from the current GH¢5,000 to a staggering GH¢50,000.

    Speaking in an exclusive interview on GTV earlier today, Mr. Agbodza described the existing penalty regime as “laughable” and insufficient to deter transporters who prioritize profit over national assets.

    The Minister’s argument is rooted in the high cost of maintenance. According to road engineers, a single overloaded truck can cause damage that costs the state tens of thousands of cedis to repair far exceeding the current maximum fine.

    “You cannot have a penalty of GH¢5,000 when the damage you are doing is GH¢50,000,” Mr. Agbodza stated emphatically. “The penalty is not a deterrent. The cost of the penalty is lower than the cost of overloading.”

    The current system uses a graduated scale, where fines increase as the excess weight rises. However, the Minister noted that even at the highest tier, the “slap on the wrist” has failed to change behavior, leading to premature pavement failure on recently commissioned projects like the Tarkwa-Agona Nkwanta stretch.

    Zero Tolerance for Repeat Offenders

    The new regulations aren’t just about the money. Mr. Agbodza sent a stern warning to habitual lawbreakers, indicating that the Ministry is preparing to escalate enforcement beyond financial sanctions.

    ● Vehicle Seizures: Repeat offenders face the risk of having their trucks confiscated.

    ● Technological Monitoring: The government is integrating AI and smart-weighing technology at tolling points to prevent overloaded vehicles from even entering major highways.

    ● ECOWAS Harmonization: This local crackdown aligns with the 2026 ECOWAS Axle Load Harmonization protocol, which aims to standardize weight limits and penalties across West Africa to protect regional corridors.

    Saving the “Big Push” Agenda

    The timing of these tougher measures is critical. The government is currently rolling out its “Big Push” infrastructure agenda, which includes the construction of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway and several interchanges. Without strict enforcement of weight limits, these new roads—some designed for a 50-year lifespan—could fail in less than five years.

    Current Penalty (2025) – GH¢5,000

    Proposed New Penalty(2026)- GH¢50,000

    Percentage Increase – 900%

    “Some roads in Ghana fail within a year, not because contractors did poor work, but because vehicles are overloaded,” the Minister explained. “We are going to make it tough.”

    For truck owners and cargo agents, the era of “paying to play” with the nation’s roads is coming to a costly end. As the Ministry revises its legislative instruments, the message is clear: load within the limit, or be prepared to pay the ultimate price.