By Valentia Tetteh
Member of Parliament for Bantama and former Minister for Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has responded to comments made by the current Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Agbodza, when he took his turn at the Government Accountability Series briefing held earlier on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.
Addressing journalists in Parliament, Mr. Asenso-Boakye, who is also a member of the Roads and Transport Committee, described the Minister’s claims as “misleading” and “a reflection of deliberate distortion and double standards.”
He said, “The recent comments made by the Minister are not only misleading but reflect a worrying pattern of deliberate distortion and double standards.”
Reacting to the Roads Minister’s suggestion that the reported 10,000 kilometers of roads constructed under President Akufo-Addo was a “mirage,” Mr. Asenso-Boakye clarified that over 13,624 kilometers of roads were undertaken between 2017 and the end of 2024. This figure, he said, includes new constructions, asphalt overlays, graveling, reconstructions, and upgrades.
“These facts have been presented repeatedly, yet Mr. Agbodza continues to ignore them,” he stated, adding that the data was compiled by the Ministry’s Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate, which comprises professional civil servants.
Mr. Asenso-Boakye also raised concerns over the Minister’s comments on single-source procurement. He noted what he described as a contradiction in Mr. Agbodza’s stance.
“At today’s press briefing, Mr. Kwame Agbodza stated that ‘once you have the Engineer’s Estimate, it doesn’t matter which procurement method you use.’ This contradiction raises serious questions,” he said.
“You cannot demonize a method when others use it, only to defend it when you find yourself in the same position” the former Roads Minister added.
The former Roads and High-ways Minister urged the Ministry of Roads and Highways to focus on technical delivery and avoid politicizing its operations.
“The Ministry is a technical institution, not a propaganda arm for political spin. Ghanaians deserve honest, data-driven leadership,” he said.
The Minority Caucus on the Roads and Transport Committee has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting transparency and accuracy in the reporting of public infrastructure projects.
