Ghana's Roads and Highways Minister, Governs Kwame Agbodza, recently inspected the 22-kilometre Kwabenya-Berekuso-Kitase road, which has been in a deplorable state for years. The road, which connects several communities in the Akuapem area, has been the subject of numerous protests and complaints from residents. The minister's visit was accompanied by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Highways Authority.
The inspection comes after years of placards, road blockades, and complaints from communities along the Kwabenya-Berekuso-Kitase stretch. However, Minister Agbodza emphasized that the government's attention to the road was not triggered by the recent demonstrations but was part of a wider commitment to developing roads of national importance.
Agbodza stressed that road projects are financed through tax revenue or loans, and construction can only begin once actual resources are in place. He cautioned residents not to assume that staging protests would automatically translate into released funds. The minister described the road as historically significant and a strategic connection stretching beyond the immediate Akuapem communities it passes through.
The Kwabenya-Berekuso-Kitase visit fits into a broader pattern of neglected roads serving Ghana's fast-growing peri-urban areas. This trend has been documented in reports on Ashesi University's access road crisis and Ashaiman's long-ignored road network. Minister Agbodza acknowledged that the government's own track record on completing road projects has left contractors wary whenever they are asked to return to stalled sites.
For communities along the Kwabenya-Berekuso-Kitase corridor, the deplorable state of the road has made daily travel difficult. The minister's remarks suggest that even after his personal inspection, there is no guarantee of an immediate construction timeline. Work depends on when funding is secured rather than on public pressure.
Agbodza announced separately that contractors working on the related Dome-Kitase road are expected to fully remobilise to site this week, under instruction from President John Dramani Mahama. He said government would not tolerate contractors returning briefly to carry out limited work before abandoning the site again, insisting on full, sustained activity once mobilisation happens.
No specific date has been given for when construction on the Kwabenya-Berekuso-Kitase road itself will begin. The minister said the inspection would inform government's next steps in addressing residents' concerns. The visit has raised hopes among residents that the road will be fixed soon, but a timeline for completion remains uncertain.
Key points
- The condition of the Kwabenya-Berekuso-Kitase road has been a source of frustration for residents, who have staged protests and demonstrations to demand action.
- Minister Agbodza emphasized that funding, not protests, will determine when the road is fixed.
- The inspection is part of a broader effort to address the neglect of roads in Ghana's fast-growing peri-urban areas.
