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President John Dramani Mahama has defended the proposed Accra–Kumasi Expressway, saying the severe traffic congestion experienced during the 2025 Christmas and New Year period clearly demonstrates the urgent need for the project.
His remarks follow widespread public frustration after motorists and passengers were stranded for between 12 and 24 hours on parts of the Accra–Kumasi highway between December 31, 2025, and January 1, 2026.
The traffic gridlock affected several communities, including Juaso, Asankari and Dwaso, and was attributed largely to large church conventions that attracted thousands of worshippers from across the country.
Although the Ministry of Roads and Highways described the congestion as an isolated incident, President Mahama said the situation revealed deeper structural weaknesses in Ghana’s road network and reinforced the necessity of a modern expressway linking the country’s two largest cities.
Speaking at the annual New Year School conference in Accra on Tuesday, January 6, the President said critics of the Accra–Kumasi Expressway would better appreciate its importance if they had personally experienced the prolonged gridlock.
According to him, a single church convention was enough to bring traffic on the highway to a complete standstill for more than seven hours, exposing the limitations of the existing road infrastructure.
Mahama described it as unacceptable that Accra, the nation’s capital and largest city, and Kumasi, the second-largest city and a major commercial hub, are largely connected by a single-lane road. He warned that such conditions continue to impede movement, economic activity and national development.
He assured Ghanaians that the situation would soon change, revealing that preparations are underway to cut sod for the construction of the Accra–Kumasi Expressway early this year under his government’s Big Push infrastructure agenda.
