THE President of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE), Ludwig Annang Hesse, has called for urgent structural, financial and institutional reforms in Ghana’s road sector.
He urged engineers, policy makers and political leaders to “do it well and do it right” in the planning, financing and execution of road infrastructure.
He said that nearly 70 years after independence, Ghana continued to grapple with deteriorating roads, weak maintenance culture and rising financial exposure despite decades of national development plans, donor support and technical expertise, stressing that the core challenge was not the absence of plans but the failure to implement them with discipline and consistency.
Mr Hesse made the call in Accra during the 53rd Presidential Address of the Institution on the theme “Do It Well, Do It Right: A Focus on the Roads in Ghana.” The address aimed at diagnosing persistent weaknesses in the road sub sector and proposing practical reforms to strengthen planning, asset management, procurement, financing and road safety outcomes.
Drawing on 40 years of professional experience beginning at the Ghana Highway Authority in 1985, where he served in various planning and management roles before moving into private consultancy and later serving on the Road Management Board, Ing. Hesse said his assessment was informed by sector data, policy reviews and historical reports.
He noted that Ghana had consistently complied with national development planning frameworks coordinated by the National Development Planning Commission, including long term infrastructure strategies, yet outcomes in the road sector remained below expectation.
He pointed to gaps in the implementation of the Public Investment Management Regulations under the Public Financial Management Act 2016, saying the Public Investment Programme and integrated project bank were not fully transparent or consistently applied.
On network condition, Mr Hesse said Ghana’s road network had expanded significantly over the decades but warned that expansion without preservation was self-defeating. Data from 2024 indicated that about 47 per cent of roads were in good condition, 32 per cent fair and 21 per cent poor. He called for the establishment of an integrated road inventory and condition database to eliminate discrepancies in sector reporting.
The GhIE President described the sector’s financial position as unsustainable. As of December 2024, road sector workload stood at Gh¢131 billion, with outstanding payments exceeding Gh¢31 billion. He urged the Ministry of Finance to assume responsibility for arrears through structured settlements and to allow the Road Maintenance Trust Fund to focus exclusively on maintenance. He also recommended a gradual increase in the fuel levy to strengthen maintenance funding.
On procurement, he criticised excessive reliance on single sourcing and selective tendering, contrary to the Public Procurement Act, and recommended that at least 90 per cent of public procurement be conducted through open competitive tendering with public disclosure of exceptions.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
Trusted News. Real Stories. Anytime, Anywhere.
Join our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
Follow the latest videos and updates on the official YouTube channel of Ghanaian Times.
https://www.youtube.com/@ghanaian_times