Afenyo-Markin
The Minority in Parliament has strongly rejected Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson’s claims that the previous administration diverted funds meant for specific road projects.
According to the Minority, the $750 million Afreximbank facility secured under former President Akufo-Addo was a multi-purpose infrastructure financing arrangement approved by Parliament to support several major national road projects.
In a press statement issued on July 28, 2025, the Minority Caucus in Parliament responded to remarks made by Dr Forson during the presentation of the 2025 Mid-Year Budget. The Minister had alleged that the previous administration secured loans for the Ofankor-Nsawam Road and the Suame Interchange but spent the funds on “other things.”
However, the Minority strongly disagrees, explaining that the $750 million Afreximbank facility secured under former President Akufo-Addo was a carefully structured, multi-purpose infrastructure financing arrangement. According to them, Parliament transparently approved the loan to support several major national road projects across the country.
These include not only the Ofankor-Nsawam Road and Suame Interchange, but also the Flowerpot Interchange, the School Junction to Motorway dualization at Borteyman, and key bypasses along the busy Accra-Kumasi corridor, such as Osino, Anyinam, Enyiresi, and Konongo.
“The facility was disbursed in phases, tied to specific project milestones, and was designed to complement Ghana’s own funding,” the statement read. “It is therefore disingenuous for the current government to distort these facts just to gain political advantage. Let’s speak facts. Let’s be truthful to Ghanaians.”
The Minority also raised serious concerns about the 2025 Mid-Year Budget’s infrastructure plan, saying the government’s list of priority roads under the so-called “Big Push Programme” is skewed and lacks balance. They noted that populous and economically vital regions such as Greater Accra and Ashanti, which account for more than 35% of Ghana’s population, have been sidelined in the new project list.
They criticized the neglect of critical road upgrades on the Accra-Kumasi highway, Ghana’s busiest transport corridor, including sections already under construction and the President’s previously announced six-lane expressway. Also missing from the budget, they said, are important dualization projects and roads in areas like Nsawam, Enyiresi, Konongo, and Atebubu-Kwame Danso.
The Minority further accused the government of rebranding old projects as new. Roads such as Wa-Han, Navrongo-Tumu, Sunyani Outer Ring Road, and Tema-Aflao Road, which they say were initiated under the previous government, are now being presented as fresh interventions.
They expressed doubt about the feasibility of the long list of projects in the 2025 budget, citing the lack of clear timelines, funding sources, cost estimates, and strategic prioritization. According to them, the list looks more like a political wish list than a real development plan.
On the claim that some projects were abandoned, the Minority clarified that the projects were still ongoing and only delayed due to the current government’s failure to release payments to contractors, reportedly to protect the cedi.
The Minority called on government to rebalance regional allocations, prioritize strategic road corridors like Accra-Kumasi-Tamale-Paga, and stop politicizing infrastructure development. They urged the government to disclose clear funding plans and timelines to restore public trust.