Ghana needs $ 12 billion to fix Roads
By Mercy Darko With an estimated 94,203 kilometers of road networks, Ghana needs about 12 billion dollars to clear maintenance backlogs and pave its roads across the country. However, the government is only able to raise funds to cater for 38 percent of the total road infrastructure, leaving 72 percent of roads unattended to. It […]
By Mercy Darko
With an estimated 94,203 kilometers of road networks, Ghana needs about 12 billion dollars to clear maintenance backlogs and pave its roads across the country.
However, the government is only able to raise funds to cater for 38 percent of the total road infrastructure, leaving 72 percent of roads unattended to. It is for this reason that the government is advocating Public Private Partnerships to bridge the gap.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia said while the government is working to raise more revenue to fund road projects, the support of the private sector through strategic partnerships will go a long way to address the huge financing gap for the sector.
Dr. Bawumia said this at a High-Level Expert Panel Discussion on Closing the Financing Gap in Road Infrastructure Development in Ghana in Accra.
The High-Level forum seeks among other things to create a platform for stakeholders to deliberate on ways to achieve sustainable financing mechanisms for Ghana’s road sector. The forum will also address the persistent challenges in the sector while generating actionable strategies to drive the country’s road infrastructure for the next 50 years and beyond.
Vice President Bawumia said the Government is determined to close the financing gap, stressing that budget funding of roads is not sustainable hence the need to do more to raise funds as there is a huge gap between the demand for roads and financing. He appealed to the private sector to come on board to build a sustainable road infrastructure network for the country.
Minister of Finance, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam who gave some statistics on funding for the road sector over the last eight years said the government spent 10 billion cedis on the road sector from January to June this year.
Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso Boakye touched on the role of the proposed National Roads Authority.
In a remark, World Bank Country Director, Dr Robert Taliercio O’Brien, commended the government for some successes chalked up over the years. He however noted that challenges such as delays in the payment of arrears to contractors need to be addressed.
The forum is being spearheaded by the Ghana Highway Authority to herald its 50th anniversary.
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