UNDER the US$10 billion Big Push Infrastructure Programme, the government has announced plans to construct a bridge over the Afram River at Ekye-Amanfrom–Adawso in the Afram Plains of the Eastern Region.
The project, when completed, will ease transportation, open up the enclave, and facilitate the movement and carting of foodstuffs from the agriculturally rich zone.
The Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, disclosed this in Accra on Thursday when he presented the 2026 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament for consideration and approval. The 2026 budget is on the theme: ‘Resetting for Jobs, Growth and Economic Transformation.’
Dr Forson said feasibility studies and designs had been completed for the bridge. In addition, Government would construct a new expressway from Accra to Kumasi, also backed by completed studies and designs.
He explained that the Adawso–Ekye Amanfrom Bridge, together with its associated road network, would open the Afram Plains to large-scale commercial agriculture, unlocking its economic potential.
He said Government had identified poor roads linking food-producing areas as a major contributor to food inflation. To address this, a three-year programme to construct 1,000 kilometres of agricultural enclave roads had been launched, funded by the World Bank and to be implemented by the Department of Feeder Roads.
“These roads will be carefully targeted at food-producing enclaves to reduce transport costs, minimise post-harvest losses and enhance national food security,” he emphasised.
Dr Forson also stated that the Big Push Infrastructure Programme was not merely a construction initiative, but a nation-building vision designed to create thousands of jobs, empower local contractors and strengthen linkages with domestic industries.
“It is about connecting opportunities, linking people and markets so that growth is shared across the entire country,” he stated.
Furthermore, the minister recalled that Parliament had approved multi-year commitments for 33 priority road projects under the programme, with GH¢13.8 billion allocated in 2025. Most contractors, he said, had mobilised to site, with completion expected by mid-2027. He assured contractors of prompt payment and reiterated Government’s commitment to building infrastructure as the backbone of industrialisation and trade.
A flagship project under the Big Push is the 198.7-kilometre Accra–Kumasi Expressway, Ghana’s first modern six-lane, bi-directional Class A highway. The expressway, which will run on a new alignment, reduces the current distance between the two cities by over 50 kilometres and is expected to cut travel time by half, lower transport costs by 40 per cent and create more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction.
Dr Forson said the expressway was designed to power industrial growth, stimulate logistics hubs and support the 24-Hour Economy initiative. It will feature eight major interchanges located at Accra Hub, Adeiso, Asamankese, Akyem Oda, Ofoase, Lake Bosomtwe and Kumasi, as well as three major bridges over the Birim and Pra Rivers.
Moreover, the road will include four full-service areas equipped with fuel stations, rest stops, restaurants, repair centres and emergency medical facilities to support its round-the-clock operations. These will be located at Asamankese, Ayirebi, Ofoase and Lake Bosomtwe. Two modern 20-lane toll plazas will be established at the Accra and Kumasi ends, equipped with automated systems for efficient revenue collection.
Dr Forson said the Big Push would ensure Ghana “builds to recover and builds to transform,” adding that every road and every bridge constructed would bring the nation closer to shared prosperity.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
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