President John Mahama says his government has allocated $2 billion in domestic taxpayer funds, deposited at the Bank of Ghana, to finance the proposed 198.7-kilometre Accra-Kumasi Expressway without relying on external loans.

​Speaking at a ceremony in Kwaso today to hand over the cleared right-of-way, President Mahama assured that the dedicated reserve would ensure prompt contractor payments and eliminate traditional project bottlenecks.

​"Let me announce that the Minister of Finance has put aside two billion dollars for financing this Accra-Kumasi Expressway. The money is ready, it is sitting in a special account at the Bank of Ghana so when this project starts money is not going to be the problem. All certificates presented by the contractor will be paid instantly."

​"And let me also announce that this is our own money. We have not gone to borrow money from anywhere, so this money is the money of the taxpayers of Ghana," President Mahama indicated.

​Preliminary clearing of the 175.6-kilometre corridor from Ablekuma in the Greater Accra Region to Sewua in the Ashanti Region was executed through virgin forests and river crossings by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in 19 weeks, one week ahead of schedule.

​"Our Ghana Armed Forces can today announce to all of us, as they say in military jargon, 'mission accomplished,'" Mahama said, confirming that the 48 Engineer Regiment will receive the Order of the Companion of the Volta during Ghana's upcoming 70th Independence Anniversary.

​The dual-carriageway project bypasses the old 270-kilometre route, significantly shortening the commute between the nation's two largest economic hubs.

​"The old alignment, the Accra-Kumasi highway, is 270 kilometres...So, it means that with 198.7 kilometres we've shaved off almost 70 kilometres of the travelling distance," the President noted, adding, "even if [a driver] is travelling at 100 kilometres an hour, it means that the journey will take him two hours instead of the five to six hours that we currently use”.

​Designed with eight major interchanges, two toll plazas, four multi-service rest stops, continuous CCTV monitoring, and dedicated towing services, the President said the self-financing toll road will be managed under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)—Accra Kumasi Expressway Limited—registered under the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund. 

Space has also been allocated within the corridor for a parallel railway line and direct connections to the Ashanti and Greater Accra orbital ring roads.

​President Mahama directed that the military engineer corps should be retained as the primary subcontractor for the main project while also assigning them to clear the Greater Accra orbital right-of-way and install modular steel bridges nationwide.

​"I expect that we will return here...before we celebrate Christmas; that will be the special Christmas present for Kwaso and this nation... to break the ground for the start of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway," Mahama highlighted.