The Ghana Armed Forces has cleared 170 of the 176 kilometres of right of way needed for the Accra-Kumasi Expressway, with just six kilometres remaining before military engineers complete a mission that began nearly five months ago through some of the country’s most difficult terrain.
The update came as the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Chief of the Army Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Policy and Plans, and the Director General of the Department of Engineer Services conducted a final inspection of the project on Monday, August 31, 2026, confirming arrangements for handover to the Ministry of Roads and Highways.
A Tactical Military Operation, Not a Standard Construction Job
President and Commander-in-Chief John Dramani Mahama tasked the military with clearing a 120-metre-wide corridor stretching 176 kilometres from Ablekuma and Adeiso through Asamankese, Akyem Oda, Ofoase, Lake Bosomtwe toward the destination at Sawua, running the operation from a base camp at Nsawam.
Rather than a conventional construction contract, the Ghana Armed Forces treated the assignment as a tactical engineering operation, deploying four combat work gangs simultaneously across the corridor to strike multiple fronts at once, working day and night without pause.
The terrain fought back at every stage. Torrential rains turned cleared ground to mud, and thick forest canopy blocked visibility for the engineering teams. The operation also required more than heavy machinery, since the corridor cuts through ancestral lands, farms, and living communities.
Ghana Armed Forces leadership engaged directly with traditional authorities and local landowners throughout the clearing process, treating the effort as a partnership rather than a simple occupation of land.
Ahead of a 20-Week Target
The original timeline set the mission at 20 weeks from its start on April 23, 2026. The military’s actual execution outpaced that target throughout. By July 2026, engineers had cleared over 108 kilometres, 61 percent of the corridor. Within days, that figure jumped to 156 kilometres, 89 percent complete and running ahead of schedule.
Military leadership credited the pace to a simple operating principle: clear objectives, disciplined execution and relentless leadership from the front.
Senior commanders did not oversee the operation from a distance, but worked on the ground alongside the engineering teams, a presence that provided encouragement, accountability and a clear sense of purpose throughout the mission.
A Message From the Chief of the Defence Staff
At Monday’s final inspection, senior commanders praised the troops for their resilience and professionalism over the course of the operation.
“For the CDS and the military hierarchy, these particular projects have sent us a strong message that the Ghana Armed Forces is not only capable of defending the territorial integrity of our nation,” a senior officer said during the inspection, “but also that, we can use our knowledge, our specialised skills and capabilities in support of national development. That is exactly what you have done.”
The officer suggested the mission’s success could open further opportunities for the Ghana Army Engineers and other military institutions to take on additional civil development projects going forward. “Once again, on behalf of all of us, well done for a good job done. We are proud of you,” he said.
The Race to Sawua
Troops on the ground embraced the framing of the mission as a race against the clock, using the rallying phrase “the race to Sawua” throughout the operation. With six kilometres remaining and troops continuing work toward Kwaso, commanders expressed confidence the finish line was within reach.
“The race to Sawua that started sometime about 18 or 19 weeks ago is on,” one commander said, “and I can tell you that the Ghanaian forces will win that particular race.”
The project is now expected to be completed in 19 of its originally estimated 20 weeks, with handover to the Ministry of Roads and Highways anticipated between September 14 and 18, 2026.
With the right of way open, the foundation is laid for the next phases of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway, including feasibility studies, detailed engineering designs and final construction.
Once completed, the expressway is expected to significantly cut travel times between Accra and Kumasi, strengthen connectivity between communities along the corridor, ease the movement of people and goods, and support Ghana’s broader trade and economic development ambitions along one of the country’s most heavily used transport routes.
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