Roads and Highways Minister Governs Kwame Agbodza has announced that the government will give the principal route in Accra a facelift before March next year, as Ghana prepares to turn 70. He disclosed the plan during a courtesy visit to the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II.
Hon Agbodza explained that the project follows a presidential directive and that crews are already milling and resealing roads in the capital under the cover of night. He also outlined a longer vision to dualise the route from Tema through Osu, and he asked the traditional authority for backing as the government races the March deadline.
“We assure you that we are sensitive to our heritage as a people. Ghana will be 70 years next year. The President has directed that we do a facelift of the principal route in Accra before March next year.”
Governs Kwame Agbodza, Minister for Roads and Highways
The task, he disclosed, has fallen on Oswal, whom he introduced to the Ga Mantse as “your son Oswal.” The deadline follows the President’s wider push for a prosperous nation ahead of the 70th anniversary, a theme that has run through government’s messaging this year.
Night Milling and Resealing Keep Work Moving
Hon. Agbodza gave the Ga Mantse a picture of how the work unfolds on the ground. Crews do not occupy the roads around the clock. Instead, he described a rhythm that runs between night and day. “In the night you go and mill the surface,” he told the traditional ruler, and during the day the crews retreat before returning once night falls.
The assignment is large. Before March next year, Oswal must “actually reseal all the roads” in the capital city, and at the very least the principal route. Hon Agbodza presented the night schedule as the method for meeting that target while the city goes about its daily business.
The facelift forms only part of a bigger plan. Hon Agbodza described a vision to dualise the road from Tema all the way through Osu. He added that government will even attempt to connect the old Winneba Road along that line, a step that would take some of the traffic off the Kasoa Road.
The minister did not attach a completion date to the dualisation or the Winneba Road connection during the visit. His only stated deadline concerned the resealing of the principal route before March next year.
The courtesy call also fits a pattern of engagement with traditional leaders. The government has previously briefed chiefs on Greater Accra development gains, and Hon Agbodza used this visit to put the road agenda directly before the Ga Mantse.
Heritage Pledge to Traditional Authorities
Hon Agbodza turned to what may be the most sensitive part of any plan to widen and modernise roads in an old city. He assured the Ga Mantse that government will protect the places that carry the memory of Accra and of Ghana. Government, he stated, will not “carelessly destroy any place of historical importance to our city or to any part of our country.”
He did not present the pledge as a one-sided promise. Hon. Agbodza drew the Ga Mantse’s attention to the need for shared effort, stating: “We need the support of you and all the stakeholders so that we can do this together.” He framed the goal as a balance, and he described the approach as “modernizing the city but not losing our heritage.”
The road works join a list of national goals pegged to the anniversary year. The government has set a target for 70% nationwide 5G expansion by 2027, while the cost of marking the occasion has also drawn public comment. One lawyer praised cost cuts and pushed for corporate funding of the Ghana70 celebrations.
Support Sought From a Traditional Authority
The visit ended with a request. Hon Agbodza formally sought the backing of the Ga Mantse for the facelift and for the dualisation vision that follows it. By taking the plan to King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II before the roadworks widen, the minister placed the project before the traditional authority while the resealing is still underway.
With less than a year to the anniversary, the next test is visible on the roads of the capital. Motorists will see the progress of the night crews, and residents will watch whether the heritage assurance holds as the works move beyond resealing.
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