Ghana’s Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwame Governs Agbodza, has revealed that the Ministry is grappling with a staggering legacy commitment of over GHS 120 billion.
This financial burden, he said, undermines the capacity of the government to respond effectively to current infrastructure needs without first embarking on a policy reset.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Jubilee House, the Minister provided detailed insight into the true state of the ministry’s financial obligations inherited from the previous administration.
He explained that during the transition period, the previous government indicated that the total commitment stood at GHS 105 billion, but he immediately raised doubts about that figure.
“I doubted that figure and I said it was around GHS 130 billion. I asked the ministry to do further work. They came back and told me the total commitment was around GHS 123,565,454,431.”
Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwame Governs Agbodza
He noted that this staggering debt stood in sharp contrast to the budgetary allocation given to the Ministry at the time, which was just about GHS 3 billion. “So when were we going to be able to have the resources to do all these roads?” he asked, emphasising the extent of the fiscal gap that now hampers road development.
The Minister explained that the scale of these commitments means that the Roads and Highways Ministry alone accounts for over GHS 120 billion out of the government’s total outstanding financial obligations, which the Finance Minister recently pegged at GHS 164 billion.
While Hon. Agbodza was clear that roads are critical to national development, he strongly criticised the mismatch between project awards and the allocation of resources by the previous administration.
“I’m not saying roads are not necessary, but I thought the government should have matched the awards with the allocation of resources.”
Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwame Governs Agbodza
Lack of Fiscal Prudence
According to him, this lack of fiscal prudence has created a burdensome portfolio of unpaid commitments that now threatens the government’s ability to start and complete new projects under improved planning.
In this context, the Minister explained the relevance of the current administration’s “Reset Ghana” agenda, which aims to correct past planning failures and ensure better fiscal discipline. He cited the Big Push initiative as an example of the new approach.
“Reset means that when we say Big Push, you already see the Finance Minister allocating GHS 13 billion this year alone for Big Push—even before we award the first contract. This is the reset we are talking about.”
Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwame Governs Agbodza
Hon. Agbodza stressed that this GHS 13 billion allocation is entirely separate from the Roads and Highways Ministry’s own regular budget, indicating a clear distinction between legacy commitments and newly scoped development plans.
“The GHS 13 billion does not include the allocation to the Ministry of Roads and Highways. It’s additional money meant for the Big Push. We have our own budget, and then we have the budget for the Road Fund, which is also about GHS 3 billion.”
Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwame Governs Agbodza
Hon. Agbodza’s comments reflect a broader effort by the current administration to separate politically motivated project award patterns from financially viable infrastructure planning.
While acknowledging the necessity of building and upgrading roads to improve mobility and economic activity, he made it clear that fiscal discipline must guide future commitments.
The Roads Minister’s frank revelations underscore the challenges facing the government as it tries to balance debt overhangs with the urgent need for infrastructure development.
He argued that the “reset” strategy provides a more credible and sustainable pathway forward, built on transparency, long-term planning, and upfront financing.
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