Ghana's roads in crisis: Infrastructure rating plunges to dangerous D1 level

Ghana's road network is in a state of alarming decline, with the Ghana Institute of Engineers warning that infrastructure conditions have worsened dramatically over the past eight years. The latest infrastructure scorecard reveals that the nation's roads have slipped from a D3 rating in 2016 to D1 in 2024—placing the country dangerously close to complete system failure.

Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show, Ing. Dr Charles Kwarteng Asafo-Adjei, a member of GhIE's Public Accountability Committee, described the downgrade as "very, very bad" and explained the implications of the current rating. On a grading scale that runs from A (excellent) to F (complete failure), D1 sits near the bottom, with only E2, E3, and F remaining below it.

What the numbers mean

The infrastructure scorecard system assesses Ghana's road conditions, performance and safety using a standardised grading framework. The D1 rating indicates that Ghana's road infrastructure is seriously compromised and approaching the threshold of irreversible deterioration. Dr Asafo-Adjei emphasised that further decline would push roads into the E categories before reaching the F level, which signals total structural failure.

The assessment period covered 2017 to 2024, with provisional data from 2025 also considered. This represents the most comprehensive evaluation since GhIE began producing the scorecard in 2016, when the exercise initially covered three sectors. The assessment now spans eight sectors, providing a broader picture of Ghana's infrastructure health.

Why maintenance matters—and why it's failing

The primary culprit behind the deterioration is inadequate and delayed maintenance funding. Dr Asafo-Adjei explained that while roads naturally degrade under adverse weather and heavy traffic, the problem accelerates dramatically when government fails to allocate sufficient resources for timely repairs and upkeep.

"When we do not intervene or provide sufficient funds for maintenance, the deterioration increases and the infrastructure becomes extremely bad," he said, highlighting a vicious cycle: poor road conditions lead to congestion, travel delays, vehicle accidents and increased fuel consumption—costs borne by commuters and businesses alike.

Why it matters for Ghana

The state of Ghana's roads affects nearly every sector of the economy and the daily lives of millions. Poor infrastructure directly impacts the competitiveness of local businesses, increases transport costs for goods and services, and raises the risk of accidents on highways and urban roads. The economic burden of poor road conditions extends beyond individual drivers to supply chains, trade, and business operations across the country.

Dr Asafo-Adjei's warning is clear: continuing to neglect road maintenance will only increase rehabilitation costs exponentially. Addressing small defects now is far cheaper than rebuilding entire road networks later. Without urgent intervention and sustained funding, Ghana risks pushing more of its critical road infrastructure toward complete failure, with cascading effects on commerce, safety and daily mobility.

The engineer called for immediate government action to allocate adequate and consistent funding for road maintenance programmes, arguing that the cost of prevention today is far lower than the cost of emergency repairs and complete reconstruction tomorrow.