Accra's Roads in Crisis: Potholes at Abeka Lapaz, East Legon and Sakaman Putting Lives at Risk

Commuters in Accra are facing a mounting road safety crisis as deep, hazardous potholes continue to spread across some of the capital's busiest highways and arterial roads — with frustrated motorists warning that it is only a matter of time before lives are lost. Despite repeated appeals to the authorities, little action has been taken, leaving drivers to dodge craters daily at their own risk.

The Extent of the Damage

Visits to several affected areas paint a troubling picture of infrastructure neglect across the city. At the Abeka Lapaz interchange, a deep pit has formed in the outer lane of one of Accra's most heavily trafficked junctions. Drivers report that the pothole is breaking car axles and forcing sudden, dangerous lane changes — a scenario that becomes especially perilous during morning and evening rush hours when traffic is at its densest.

On the UPSA road near the University of Ghana Business School, multiple potholes have rendered the route — used daily by students, lecturers, and local residents — extremely difficult to navigate. Vehicles are forced to slow to a crawl, adding to congestion and journey times.

In East Legon, along the American House main road, potholes in one of Accra's most commercially active and densely populated neighbourhoods are causing significant traffic build-up as motorists queue to manoeuvre around damaged sections. Meanwhile, at the Sakaman Junction traffic light on the Accra-Kasoa Highway, a particularly treacherous pothole sits directly in the path of vehicles pulling away from a red light — causing repeated tyre and suspension damage.

Conditions are equally poor in the New Bortianor and West Hills Mall corridor on the outskirts of the city, where residents say the road surface has deteriorated sharply and needs immediate intervention.

Why It Matters for Ghana

Road safety is a serious public health concern in Ghana. The country consistently records high rates of road traffic accidents, and poor road surfaces are a well-documented contributing factor. Potholes are particularly dangerous in wet conditions — when heavy rainfall fills them with water, they become virtually invisible to drivers, dramatically increasing the risk of accidents, especially at night.

Beyond the safety dimension, the economic cost is substantial. Motorists spoken to during the visits described spending significant sums on vehicle repairs — from burst tyres and damaged rims to broken axles and blown suspensions — costs that fall disproportionately on commercial drivers, delivery operators and ordinary commuters who have little financial cushion to absorb them.

Ghana's road infrastructure falls under the remit of several institutions, including the Ghana Highway Authority, which manages trunk roads and highways, the Department of Urban Roads, responsible for urban road networks, and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), which oversees local infrastructure within the capital. Critics have long argued that overlapping mandates between these bodies can lead to delays in accountability and repair works.

Calls for Urgent Government Action

Motorists and road users are calling on the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Urban Roads, and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to treat the situation as the emergency it is and deploy repair crews without further delay. With Ghana's rainy season capable of rapidly worsening existing road damage, advocates warn that every week of inaction increases both the financial burden on citizens and the probability of a fatal accident.

Road advocacy groups have previously urged the government to establish a more responsive, real-time system for reporting and repairing potholes — similar to models used in other African cities — rather than relying on citizens to make repeated, unheeded appeals. For now, thousands of Accra's drivers continue to navigate the city's crumbling roads with a mixture of caution, frustration and resignation.