Ghana's Road Crisis: Why Experts Say Completing Existing Projects Trumps New Expressway

Ghana's infrastructure development strategy faces fresh scrutiny as industry leaders call for a fundamental shift in how the nation allocates its road construction budget. The Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE) has raised concerns that the country may be making poor financial choices by committing GH¢1.7 billion to a new expressway project whilst numerous critical road upgrades remain incomplete across the country.

In a pointed intervention, the President of GhIE has argued that redirecting roughly half of the expressway funding—around GH¢850 million—towards finishing existing road networks would deliver far greater returns for ordinary Ghanaians and the economy as a whole. This proposal comes amid growing frustration that many major roads that were previously considered high-priority have stalled since 2024, leaving communities disconnected and transport networks fragmented.

The Stalled Projects Problem

According to engineering professionals, several substantial road initiatives have been suspended or frozen in recent months due to insufficient budgetary resources. Frustratingly, many of these projects were already substantially advanced—meaning they required only additional capital to reach completion. When major infrastructure work stops mid-way, costs typically balloon, contractors face uncertainty, and the public sees no tangible benefit from money already spent.

This pattern reflects a broader infrastructure challenge in Ghana: the tendency to launch new projects without ensuring existing commitments are honoured. The result is a landscape of half-finished roads, abandoned construction sites, and communities left waiting for promised connectivity improvements.

Why It Matters for Ghana

Ghana's road network is critical to economic productivity, public health access, and social mobility. Poor road conditions increase transport costs for businesses, limit market access for rural producers, and make emergency medical response slower in remote areas. When major projects stall, these problems intensify.

The GhIE's recommendation reflects sound financial logic: completing a 90 percent finished road costs far less per kilometre than starting a brand-new expressway from scratch. Moreover, spreading infrastructure spending across multiple existing projects means more regions benefit simultaneously, distributing development gains more equitably across the country rather than concentrating investment in a single corridor.

The engineering profession's intervention is significant because it carries technical credibility. These are not political statements but assessments rooted in project management experience and cost-benefit analysis. Their concern signals that the current budgeting approach may be inefficient by any reasonable measure.

The Bigger Picture

Ghana's annual budget for road infrastructure is finite. Every cedi committed to one project is unavailable for another. Strategic decisions about allocation shape whether citizens experience transport improvements or continue navigating deteriorating networks. The GhIE is essentially asking: which benefits Ghana more—one premium expressway serving a specific corridor, or completing multiple roads across different regions that together improve the mobility of far more people?

The debate also touches on governance and accountability. When projects are launched without adequate funding secured, or when financing is reallocated mid-implementation, it suggests planning processes may not be rigorous enough. Ghanaians deserve clarity on how such major spending decisions are made and justified.

As government officials evaluate infrastructure priorities, the engineering sector's voice deserves serious weight in these conversations. The case for completing what is already begun, before embarking on new ventures, remains one of the most pragmatic arguments in development finance.