Ghana’s infrastructure sector has been shaken by a startling disclosure from the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, who revealed in Parliament on Thursday, 5 June 2025, that nearly $30 million has been paid to a contractor for a road project that is only one percent physically complete.

The site, according to the Minister, has barely been cleared, sparking public outrage.

The project, which was launched with much fanfare, has since been virtually abandoned. Mr Agbodza expressed deep disappointment as he informed the House that the total cost of the project is officially pegged at $158,617,764, yet the contractor has already been paid \$29,648,180—despite the fact that even the basic clearing of the construction site has not been completed.

What has further exacerbated the situation is the contractor’s current demand for an additional $14 million, purportedly as a settlement to terminate the contract and walk away with the funds already disbursed.

“As a Roads Minister, knowing that I owe Ghanaian contractors over GH¢21 billion for work they have genuinely done, it is quite disheartening that at the same time that we are unable to pay Ghanaian contractors, we have paid somebody $30 million. And the person is basically asking us that we should let him go with our $30 million,” Mr Agbodza stated, lamenting the glaring disparity in how public resources are managed.

He made it clear that the government would take all necessary legal measures to recover the funds.

“We shall be able to use the laws within our country to demand that $30 million worth of work is done, or we take the legal actions to make sure that we retrieve it,” he assured Parliament, suggesting a firm stance and possible litigation.

The project in question was ceremoniously commissioned by then-Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in June 2022.

The revelation of such a massive outlay resulting in only one percent progress has renewed concerns about contract supervision, accountability, and value for money in Ghana’s public infrastructure projects—particularly at a time when the country grapples with mounting debt and pressing development needs.