A fiery exchange unfolded in Parliament as Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, confronted sharp criticism from his predecessor, Francis Asenso-Boakye, over the government’s flagship Big Push road infrastructure initiative.
Asenso-Boakye claimed the programme lacked strategic vision and unfairly favoured underpopulated areas over economically active regions like Greater Accra and Ashanti. He dismissed the initiative as “neither balanced, nor big, nor strategic.”
Responding in Parliament, Mr. Agbodza firmly rejected those claims and defended the project’s national reach and relevance. “My colleague in Parliament, the former Minister for Roads, is a planner and knows better than I do,” he remarked. “But if we keep investing only in Accra and Kumasi, we’re encouraging youth migration from rural communities. That’s not sustainable.”
He clarified that the Big Push roads were carefully selected to connect major trade and population corridors. “Western Corridor from Techiman to Wa is critical. It links trade with Burkina Faso and continues to Takoradi. There are people all along that stretch,” he explained.
He also dismissed claims that rural roads lack users. “Eastern Corridor? Wa to Bolga? Where exactly are people not living?” he questioned. “We’re not building roads to nowhere.”
Highlighting the economic significance, Mr. Agbodza asked, “Can anyone underestimate how vital it is to move yam and rice to Accra and Tema?”
He ended by pointing out that historical overinvestment in cities has not solved traffic or development imbalances. “We’ve invested 70% of our road budget in Accra, Kumasi, and parts of the Eastern Region — yet our problems persist,” he said.
Mr. Agbodza maintained that the Big Push is a transformative, nationwide plan aimed at connecting regions, expanding trade routes, and addressing long-neglected infrastructure needs across Ghana.
