Big Push: Here’s how much we’re paying for every kilometre of road

The Fourth Estate on Wednesday published a full list of road contracts published under the government’s Big Push Programme – an initiative aimed at transforming Ghana’s road sector.

The publication scrutinised the procurement methods used by the Ministry of Roads and Highways in awarding 81 contracts through sole-sourcing, a method the National Democratic Congress heavily criticised in the past, but has now indulged in.

The Fourth Estate provides an analysis of cost per kilometre for these contracts worth over GHS 80 billion, according to data from the Ministry of Roads and Highways. More than 73 billion of this went to contracts from sole-sourcing.

Some of these roads have been divided into multiple lots and given to either one contractor or multiple contractors, which the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has said was meant to ensure early completion of the projects.

What goes into cost per kilometre?

According to experts in the road construction industry, who asked for anonymity, the cost per kilometre for roads is affected by multiple factors, including topography, road classification and width, drainage and bridge requirements, land acquisition, compensation for landowners, and the distance materials must be hauled to the site. Additionally, the cost of labour and equipment costs, regulatory compliance, and project management costs.

To determine the cost of each road project, the contract sum of each project has been divided by the number of kilometres of the road.

Using this calculation, the dualisation of a 25-kilometre road, awarded to M.A & Constant Company Ltd on September 29, 2025, at a cost of GHS 3.86 billion, translates into approximately GHS 154.4 million per kilometre (about $14.2 million).

The same company is handling another 24-kilometre stretch of the same road, also awarded in September 2025, for GHS 1.87 billion—bringing the cost per kilometre down to about GHS 78.2 million (approximately $7.2 million).

Similarly, the rehabilitation of the 18.3-kilometre Tema–Aflao road, awarded in September 2025 to First Sky Limited for GHS 1.47 billion, works out to about GHS 80.7 million per kilometre (around $7.4 million).

The reconstruction of the 24.8-kilometre Dodowa–Afienya–Dawhenya road in the Greater Accra Region, along with selected town roads, was awarded in September 2025 to Oswal Investment Ltd for GHS 1.1 billion—equivalent to about GHS 45 million per kilometre (approximately $4.1 million).

In the case of the 32.6-kilometre Techiman–Nkonsia–Wenchi road, awarded to Volta Impex in November 2025 for nearly GHS 1.2 billion, the cost per kilometre is estimated at GHS 36.4 million (about $3.3 million).

The upgrading of the 8.6-kilometre Kabonwule–Blajai road in the Northern Region, awarded in August 2025 to Aawerco Construction Limited, has a total contract sum of GHS 270.3 million, translating into approximately GHS 31.4 million per kilometre (around $2.9 million).

Meanwhile, the rehabilitation of the 17.5-kilometre Atimpoku–Asikuma Junction Road, awarded in September 2025 to Ussuya (GH) Limited, costs nearly GHS 25 million per kilometre, with a total contract value of GHS 433.7 million.

Cost of roads per kilometre in the past

In June 2021, the Ministry of Roads and Highways released a statement clarifying the cost of roads per kilometre. The figures were pegged as follows:

• Surface dressed costs $300,000- $9000,000 per km (depending on the number of seals and base material).
• Asphalt overlay costs $200,000 -$250,000

Below is a full list of the cost per kilometer for other roads under the Big Push