Akufo-Addo’s 10,875 km roads claim false – Ex-Deputy Roads Minister

Minority in Parliament has challenged President Akufo-Addo’s claim of constructing 10,875km of new roads.

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Hon Isaac Adjei Mensah
MP for Wassa East
Former Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways sets the records straight on Akuffo Addo/NPP road construction claims

Comrades, it can’t be true that Prez Akuffo Addo has constructed more roads than any government since independence. This claim is factually misleading and I believe it is a deliberate orchestration and fabrication to distort facts intended to achieve an undeserved prominence.

Even in Nana Addo fifth year, his performance has been very poor compared to all other regimes since independence. Records for his first term is even worst and unsatisfactorily disappointing. It’s factual though that some road works have been done in his first and second terms but available records and evidence don’t support the claim of his road sector performance especially when compared with Prez Mahama’s outstanding performance in the sector. Recently, the NanaAddo/NPP government has consistently and persistently been involved in dubious attempts to change the records on road sector performance and must be corrected and stopped by all reasonable means possible.

Recently, the chairman of the Roads and Transport Committee asserted and reported by Ghanaweb that Akuffo Addo’s Government in his first term constructed over 3600km more than any government since independence. This could not be true as available records do not support this proposition. The Road Minister also recently presented to parliament some records on roads constructed since 2017 totaling 4265.37 km claiming to be more roads constructed than any government since independence. The President in the state of the nation’s address also claims to have constructed more roads than any government since independence. He claims to have constructed 10,855 km in his fifth year. This claim is untrue and needs to be corrected immediately.
There are facts available to set the records straight.

1. The current total national inventorised road network is 78,401.02km and this stands in favor of Prez Mahama./NDC. Since 2016, this network hasn’t changed. This means the network hasn’t been expanded to catch up with growth.
2. Mahama constructed more roads than any Government’s first term under the 4th republic.

3. Total roads constructed and completed by Prez Mahama is 5955km ie asphalt overlay, upgrading, re-graveling, spot improvement, rehabilitation, resurfacing etc. Ref. respective budget statements of 2013 paragraph 579, 2014 Par 495, 2015 par, 569 and 2016 par 506.

4. Please note that details of a year’s performance in budget as referenced is seen in following year. eg 2013 performance is shown in 2014 budget statement. Further ref. MRH planning and monitoring departments.

5. Details/ records of Specific roads constructed in regions and districts by Mahama are available and will follow later. The Details are too voluminous for this piece. I believe Colleagues also have evidence of such roads in their respective constituencies and regions.

6. Akuffo Addo per what was presented by Amoako Atta, the Roads minister to parliament indicated a total road construction of 4265.37 km, covering asphalt overlay, rehabilitation, spot improvement, upgrading, graveling/regraveling etc All are classified as periodic maintenance works.
7. A total difference of 1689.63km in favor of Mahama. Deduct Akuffo Addo’s 4265.37km from Mahama’s 5955km.
8. Prez Mahama extended and improved our roads more than any government’s first term since independence.
9. Total network extension by Mahama is 10,344km
10. By end of 2012 total inventorised road network inherited by Mahama was 68067km
11. By end of 2016 the total inventorised network had extended and improved to 78, 402.02km, a phenomenal difference of 10,334km .
12. Nana Akuffo Addo has never extended the network as he inherited at 78,401.02km from Prez Mahama.
13. The 4265km of roads he claims to have constructed are basically periodic maintenance works which Prez Mahama did more and better than Akuffo Addo
14. Mahama Constructed more urban roads than any government in the first term under the 4th republic. Under his tenure he constructed 3750km of urban roads unprecedented in the road sector. The current chief Director of MRH Dr Abass was the director for the DUR who championed this success.Ref as above stated in respective budget statements.
15. By end of Mahama’s term in 2016 the road condition mix indicating the state of our roads by classifications of ‘’good” and “fair” was 74%. Meaning the motorability rate was 74% unprecedented in the history of the road sector since independence
16. Poor performance couldn’t allow any Road inventory to be conducted by the MRH engineers in Akuffo Addo’s first term, having suspended all road construction and works with the excuse of conducting value for money audit. Little did he know that the periods of 2017 and 2018 will be accounted for in his first term.
17. At the end 2016 when Mahama was leaving office about 74% of our road network was motorable at 58178.80 km. He had developed and improved the network of 68067km in 2012 to 78,401.92 km in 2016.
18. In 2012 when the network was 68,067km, 71% was motorable at 48327.57 km .Expanding such network and improving its content and quality within a period of less than four years is quite remarkable and commendable, an unprecedented performance in the road sector under the 4th republic
19. Our Trunk road network of the size of 14,582.62 km had been developed and improved to a motorable state at 93% accounting for 13,561.86km. The 7% which accounted 1,020.78 to be worked on and improved to a motorable state.
20. Urban roads which had a network of 15,461.77km had been improved to a motorable state of 56% having had its fair share of the network expansion programme following the economic growth and urbanization at the time
21. Feeder roads which formed a significant chunk of the network accounted for about 62% at 48,356.81km of the national network size of 78,401.02. Significantly, the motorable state was at 75%, quite remarkable after the trunk road network. The Cocoa roads improvement Programme which saw a massive road construction in rural cocoa growing areas contributed to this facelift for the rural and the truck road networks
22. Mahama left a paved network size of 20,547.88. In significantly good shape and at motorable state of 84.04%. Paved means bituminous surface/tarring including asphalt and rigid surface
23. Ashfalt alone accounted for 3667.37 by end of 2016.
24. Bituminous surfacing or surface treated usually called tarred roads accounted for 16828.62km with the large chunk being associated with Trunk and urban roads
Above is a summary of the good works in the road sector which out performed Akuffo Addo by Mahama just in one term. The question is what is the current state of our roads especially during the first term of Nana Addo from 2017 to 2020. His second term has just began and will be judged at the end of the second term but together, Akuffo Addo’s road sector performance so far can’t be compared with predident Mahama’s first term superior performance.

Sincerely Yours

Isaac Adjei Mensah(Hon)