By Valentia Tetteh
The Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has announced that government has fully paid $29.5 million owed to contractors working on the Suame Interchange Project.
The Minister disclosed this during an inspection tour of ongoing works on the project, where he also assured residents of Asanteman that government remains committed to completing the major road infrastructure initiative.
Mr Agbodza further revealed that government has committed an additional GH¢3 billion to accelerate progress on the project and improve road quality.
According to him, the additional funding will also support construction of the Suame bypass road, aimed at easing traffic congestion in the area.
“We are not taking a cedi out of the Suame Interchange project. We are rather adding GH¢3 billion to enhance the impact of this project and the bypass,” he stated.
The Roads Minister said the current administration remains focused on completing projects inherited from previous governments rather than abandoning them.
“President Mahama is not a president who came to abandon any project,” he said.
He added that government, through the Ministry of Finance, had recently paid contractor arrears exceeding GH¢12 billion, much of which related to projects awarded before the current administration took office.
“As of two weeks ago, President Mahama directed the Finance Minister to pay arrears to contractors in excess of GH¢12 billion. Almost all that money was for works awarded before he came,” he explained.
Mr Agbodza said one section of the Suame road works is expected to be completed by the end of this year, while the full interchange project remains on course for completion by the end of 2028.
“The contractor has already confirmed that by the end of this year, this section of the road will be fully completed, which is very good news for Asanteman,” he said.
He added that works are also progressing steadily on the bypass component of the project.
Assurance to residents
The Minister assured residents and road users in Kumasi and surrounding communities that government is determined to deliver the project on schedule.
“Asanteman can rest assured that President Mahama means well. We intend to complete this project on schedule,” he stressed.
The Suame Interchange project is considered one of the key infrastructure developments expected to improve traffic flow and connectivity within the Ashanti Region.
