President Akufo-Addo (2nd L), being briefed by Asare Awuku (2nd R), Project Director
President Nana Akufo-Addo yesterday cut sod for the reconstruction of the Accra-Tema Motorway Extension Project.
The project, valued at more than $350 million, is being undertaken under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement with construction works by a fully owned Ghanaian firm, Messers Maripoma Limited.
Scheduled to be completed within 36 months after start, the scope of work includes a 10-lane divided highway with full access control express highways dedicated for through traffic and partial access control urban highways for local community traffic.
Also in the plan is the construction of eight toll plazas; 10 new foot bridges; reconstruction of Polo Junction on Liberation Road; Emmanuel Eye Clinic Junction on the J.J. Rawlings Avenue, and adequate drainage, street lights and furniture.
President Akufo-Addo explained that the Accra-Tema Motorway, which was commissioned in 1965 by the country’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, had served as a vital artery for the country’s development for nearly six decades.
“However, the time has come for us to renew this legacy and ensure that it continues to serve the people of Ghana for generations to come,” he emphasised.
President Akufo-Addo said the reconstruction of the motorway marked the beginning of a bold and innovative approach to infrastructure development in the country through PPP in the history of the country’s road infrastructure.
“By uniting the expertise and resources of both public and private sectors, and with the strategic backing of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIFT), we are not merely constructing a road, we are building a future,” he stated.
He noted that the PPP model exemplified the ideals of efficiency, sustainability, and fiscal responsibility while ensuring that world-class infrastructure was delivered.
“The Accra-Tema Motorway, an extension of the PPP project, stands as a symbol of progress, demonstrating Ghana’s capacity to innovate and lead in the realm of infrastructure development,” he said.
On his part, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, explained that the project was being delivered under a PPP arrangement between the government, acting through the Ghana Highways Authority on one hand, and AT Express Limited on the other hand, under a 30-year design-finance-build, operate, and maintain arrangement.
He said these arrangements represented a new bold initiative of delivering world-class infrastructure, leveraging the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, whilst ensuring value for money for the Ghanaian taxpayers.
Through the leadership of the government and the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, he said an amount of $380 million had been secured in equity and viability gap funding.
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso Boakye said the benefits of the project could not be overstated.
“This project will also create jobs, improve the skills of Ghanaians who will be engaged in the works, and serve as a blueprint for future infrastructure developments across the country,” he said.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent