Following the contentious update by President Akufo-Addo on roads constructed under his tenure, the Roads and Highways Ministry has clarified that the 10,875 kilometres of roads constructed as claimed by the President during the State of the Nation address, includes ongoing works on unpaved roads.
“Technically, any activity on the road amounts to “construction” hence, His Excellency the President’s statement that “so far, more roads have been built, improved and upgraded than at any other equivalent period under any government in the history of Ghana,” the ministry explained in a statement.
It said a lot of investment had gone into both the paved and unpaved roads “to improve the riding quality on our roads.”
The construction work the Ministry said it does on unpaved roads includes “grading, graveling, re-graveling, and spot improvement.”
The Ministry said in 2017, the total network size was 78,402 km and as of the end of 2021, “the projected network size had increased to 94,203km.”
It added that these developments are currently undergoing validation.
The Ministry’s response comes after some criticism from some members of the Minority in Parliament.
The Ranking Member on the Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament, Kwame Agbodza, called on the government to back the President’s update with data, threatening to resign as MP for Adaklu if they were able o prove the claim.