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John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, has pledged to initiate a feasibility study for building a new city outside Accra to reduce the capital’s congestion.
This proposal aims to establish a new development hub and create thousands of jobs both during the construction phase and after completion.
While Accra will continue as the capital, Mahama believes it is necessary to ease the city’s overcrowding by moving some government ministries, departments, agencies, and financial institutions to the new city.
Mahama suggested that the future city could extend across three regions—Greater Accra, Eastern, and Volta—and be located near the Volta Lake. This new city would be a green, digital hub featuring tourist attractions, industrial parks, and financial services, envisioned as a 24-hour metropolis.
He mentioned that the majority of the investment for the new city would come from the private sector and through public-private partnerships.
Mahama shared these plans during a discussion with the European Union Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.
“We will begin a feasibility study to plan the construction of a new city. Accra is heavily congested, and it’s time to move certain government services out of Accra. While Accra will remain the capital, some parts will be relocated,” Mahama stated.
“There is already land available on the Accra Plains and across the Volta Lake. Additionally, we are setting up a port terminal in Mpakadan to transport cargo to northern Ghana.”
“There’s plenty of land in that area, allowing us to move some ministries, agencies, and departments out of Accra to reduce congestion,” he added.
Mahama emphasized, “Accra has reached its capacity, and if we are not careful, maintaining it as a sustainable city will become challenging. We will therefore start the planning, design, and feasibility process. This project may take around 20 years to complete, but we need to take the initial steps for future generations to build upon.”
During his Building Ghana Tour, Mahama also assured citizens that he would work to decongest the industrial area of Tema towards the western corridor to promote industrialization and job creation.
