The Director of Policy for the United Party (UP), Dr. Nana Yaw Adutwum, has called on the government to involve private investors in funding the proposed Accra-Kumasi Expressway to free up public funds to pay teachers their outstanding arrears.
Speaking in an interview on Saturday, October 10, 2026, he questioned the government’s decision to set aside more than $2 billion for the expressway while teachers were still demanding unpaid promotion arrears and deprived area allowances.
Dr. Adutwum described the expressway as an important infrastructure project but argued that the government could explore other ways of financing it. He said involving private investors would allow the government to use some of its available funds to address other urgent needs, including payments owed to teachers.
“If you look at government priority settings, for example, the Expressway, another infrastructure development that government is doing, commendable. But it’s the financing scheme that we think that it could be better, where we can have space to reallocate funds to support or motivate some of these very important critical expenditures.
“That is why we disagree with government that to ringfence over $2 billion to wait for contract to be awarded for Expressway to start financing Expressway expenditure. Why don’t you invite the private sector to bear part of that cost so that you can have funds available to deal with these pressing matters?” he questioned.
His comments come after the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Pre-Tertiary Teachers Association of Ghana (PRETAG) and the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) suspended their industrial action following a meeting with the Council of State.
The three teacher unions had gone on strike to demand payment of outstanding promotion arrears, deprived area allowances and improvements in their conditions of service.
Dr. Adutwum believes that involving private investors in the expressway project could help the government balance its infrastructure plans with its responsibility to meet the financial needs of teachers and address other pressing national concerns.
