Editorial: Why Asenso-Boakye Is Wrong On The Expressway Debate

The government’s plan to construct the 198.7-kilometre Accra–Kumasi Expressway has sparked widespread national interest, for good reason. Touted as Ghana’s first modern six-lane bi-directional Class A expressway, the project promises to cut the current 250-kilometre commute by more than 50 kilometres, slash transport costs by 40 percent and drastically reduce travel time between the country’s two most economically important cities.

It will feature eight major interchanges and three significant bridges, while serving as a critical pillar of the US$10 billion Big Push Initiative and Ghana’s budding 24-Hour Economy. For millions who have long endured the perilous National Highway Six (N6), this project is long overdue.

The Chronicle, therefore, finds it profoundly troubling that Bantama MP, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has chosen to oppose a development of such national significance. His letter to President John Dramani Mahama, urging the halting of the expressway, was disappointing enough. But what he said on Citi News further underscored the inconsistency of his position.

Appearing on Citi TV/Citi News, Asenso-Boakye insisted that government should “prioritise completing the existing Accra–Kumasi highway dualisation,” which he claimed is “about 64% complete,” rather than embarking on what he described as “a completely new and expensive expressway.”

He said Ghana had “limited fiscal space” and argued that “continuity, not duplication, is the responsible approach.” The MP further stated that successive governments dating back to the Kufuor era had invested heavily in the ongoing dualisation, suggesting that abandoning it now would constitute waste.

However, these arguments collapse when placed against the reality of the N6. The current highway is unsafe, poorly designed and far beyond minor rehabilitation. Potholes have swallowed entire stretches, forcing drivers to swerve into oncoming lanes. Broken guardrails, uneven surfaces and dangerous night-time darkness have created conditions ripe for tragedy.

It is also critical to highlight that Ghana’s railway system remains largely non-functional, leaving road transport as the overwhelming mode of movement between the south and the middle belt. The N6, therefore, bears a traffic load it was never engineered to carry, which is why repairs have consistently failed to keep pace with deterioration.

The Bantama MP’s insistence on clinging to a structurally compromised highway against expert consensus and public outcry defies logic and compassion.

The Chronicle is equally disturbed by the political undertones of this opposition. Asenso-Boakye is not alone. Other MPs, including Okaikwei Central’s Patrick Boamah, have raised objections that appear more partisan than patriotic. When policymakers prioritise political discomfort over public welfare, they betray the very people they were elected to serve.

Meanwhile, the human cost of inaction continues to mount. On July 28, 2025 a horrific crash on the Kumasi–Accra stretch claimed 15 to 16 lives when Boghu Saviour Church group’s vehicle collided head-on with a fuel tanker. According to the National Road Safety Authority, Ghana recorded 13,489 road crashes in 2024, leading to 2,494 deaths and over 15,000 injuries. Many of these tragedies occur on dangerous highways like the N6 highways our leaders scarcely experience firsthand due to their privileged travel arrangements.

In Akan wisdom, nea ?rep? biribi ako kotoko no y? nndi? no aboro, to wit; you do not impede the one bringing development. The Chronicle urges Francis Asenso-Boakye to re-examine his stance, shed partisan lenses and align with the urgent national need for a safe, modern, efficient corridor between Accra and Kumasi. The expressway must proceed unhindered by political shortsightedness and guided solely by Ghana’s long-term interest.

 

 

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