The Bekwai Roundabout–Santasi Road is one of the major roads in Kumasi. It serves as a gateway for traffic from at least three southern regions of Ghana into the city, and as a single carriageway, it is often congested due to heavy commuter and commercial traffic.

Consequently, the erstwhile government began a dualisation project to ease congestion and improve safety. In late 2025, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) evicted traders, mechanics, car dealers, and others operating along the stretch to make way for the project.

However, the project stalled for over six months due to the non-payment of certificates, after the contractor had laid the groundwork for bridge construction, grading, and road expansion. This left sections of the road incomplete and further worsened traffic conditions.

Nonetheless, the acting resident engineer for ABO Consult Limited, Francis Kofi Yankey, speaking during a media engagement, said his firm has resumed work, with priority given to completing the right lane of the road in the first quarter of the year.

On the full project, Mr Yankey said it is expected to be completed in the first half of the year.

“Last Friday, we officially resumed work. We are prioritising the right lane of the road. The plan is to asphalt this side from Santasi towards Bekwai. In three months, this section will be asphalted. Hopefully, by the end of July, both sides of the dual carriageway will be asphalted,” he noted.

After months of hardship endured by motorists, the government has made a significant payment to contractors to enable work to resume.

“We intervened to get the Ministry of Roads to release funds to complete this stretch. If an ambulance wants to use this road, it has to pass through Danyame, which makes access to KATH difficult. This is an important road for healthcare,” Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi said.

In a related development, traders operating along the Asokwa Interchange–Ahodwo Roundabout stretch in the Ashanti Region have been ordered by Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori-Agyemang Boadi to vacate the premises by Saturday, January 4, 2026.

During a site visit, the Kumasi Mayor urged all affected traders to comply with the instructions or face strict sanctions.

“The contractor has started work, and we anticipate accelerated progress because we have given a limited timeline for completion. We do not expect any impediments, which is why we are asking them to move,” the Mayor stated.

The directive has become necessary to pave the way for the dualisation of the Ahodwo–Asokwa Interchange section of the Southern Bypass, a crucial road linking Kumasi to key parts of the Region.

The project is expected to ease traffic congestion, boost productivity, and enhance economic activities across the Ashanti Region. Last week, Parliament approved the government’s partnership with a private company to build, operate, and maintain the Accra–Kumasi Expressway.

The approval formalises the concession agreement collaboration between the Ministry of Roads and Highways and Accra–Kumasi Expressway Limited, which aims at maintaining the expressway.

The approval will pave the way for improvements to the existing road, which is plagued by potholes, uneven surfaces, and inadequate lighting, creating significant safety risks for drivers and commuters.

The expressway project is Government of Ghana (GoG)-funded through the Ghana Infrastructure Fund (GIF). Meanwhile, Roads Minister Kwame Governs Agbodza has revealed that the budget allocated for construction work on the Accra–Kumasi bypass has increased by 100% due to galamsey pits and swampy terrain discovered in the area.

The revelation comes as the Roads Minister was debunking reports that President John Dramani Mahama had asked contractors to stop work on the bypass. Speaking to Parliament on the matter on Tuesday, November 25, Mr. Agbodza stated, "Mr Speaker, let me put it on record.

President Mahama's government never asked any contractor working on the bypasses on the Accra–Kumasi road to stop work. Indeed, I called all the contractors and encouraged them to continue working."

He added, "However, what they told me was that at the time they were asked to go to site, they were not shown details of the alignment, and this was said in the presence of the Finance Minister. They said they flew a drone and showed them the drone image of the alignment. When they got to the site and started working, they saw galamsey pits and swamp areas. So as we speak, Mr Speaker, almost all the contract prices have increased by more than a hundred percent."

On July 30, Parliament unanimously endorsed the government’s proposal to divert all royalties from oil revenues and mineral royalties to support the implementation of the Big Push Programme. This followed a government request for Parliament’s approval to commit funds to assist in the construction of certain road projects.

Chairman of Parliament's Finance Committee, Mr. Isaac Adongo, while presenting the report by the Budget and Finance joint committee to the plenary, said, “The Committee has carefully considered the Referral, and it is of the opinion that the request is in the right direction.”

He added that Parliament had already approved the policy and allocation to the “Big Push” Programme in the 2025 Budget Statement. Granting the request would enable the government to enter into multi-year contracts to execute the road infrastructure projects under the programme.

“The Committee accordingly recommends to the House to approve the Request for the multi-year commitments for the selected road projects under the ‘Big Push’ Programme contained in the Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review of the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana, in accordance with Section 33 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921),” Mr. Adongo said.

The initiative, aimed at improving road infrastructure across the country, is estimated at GHC13.8 billion and is expected to be completed by 2028 using the country’s own financial resources.

According to the 2025 budget, GH¢5.75 billion is owed by the Road Fund, with GH¢2.81 billion programmed for road maintenance. This represents a 155.5% increase from the 2024 allocation of GH¢1.1 billion, underscoring the government’s emphasis on sustaining Ghana’s road network.

The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, on Wednesday, July 30, revealed that his ministry has undertaken studies and prepared comprehensive engineering interventions and cost estimates for road projects under the Big Push Programme.