New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Nyarko Osei, has challenged the reported cost of the proposed Accra-Kumasi Expressway, arguing that the amount could instead fund both the completion of the existing highway and the construction of a railway line linking Accra to Kumasi.
Kennedy Osei questioned the value of committing such a huge amount to a new expressway when the existing Accra-Kumasi highway still requires significant rehabilitation.
In a Facebook post, the MP compared the reported cost of the proposed expressway with the estimated US$1.7 billion required to construct a 304-kilometre railway between Accra and Kumasi.
He argued that the cost of the railway is lower than the reported cost of the expressway, suggesting that the government could achieve more by combining the two transport projects.
According to Osei, the existing highway could first be completed and improved, while the remaining funds could be used to develop the railway line.
He believes this approach would provide Ghana with a stronger and more efficient transport system. A railway connecting the country’s two major cities, he argued, could reduce the number of vehicles travelling on the Accra-Kumasi corridor.
That, in turn, could help ease traffic congestion and reduce the risk of road accidents, particularly on one of Ghana’s busiest transport routes.
Osei also suggested that investing in both road and rail infrastructure would provide travellers and businesses with alternative means of transportation while improving the movement of goods and people between Accra and Kumasi.
His comments come as the government moves ahead with plans for the proposed expressway, which officials have described as a major infrastructure project.
Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has said the government intends to finance the project without borrowing, with funding expected to be secured by the end of 2026.
