Mahama govt wants to destroy Ashanti Region with Accra-Kumasi Expressway – Okatakyie Afrifa

The Ghanaian media personality shockingly claimed that the Accra-Kumasi Expressway could change the Ashanti Region’s economic fortunes.

Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah argued that the Ashanti Region’s position as a major economic hub, serving communities in the middle belt and northern parts of Ghana, could be affected by the new road.

Afrifa-Mensah argued that trading has traditionally been a major source of livelihood for people in the region, largely because of its strategic location, adding that the expressway could affect the economic fortunes of the region, questioning the true intentions of the project.

Okatakyie questioned the intentions behind the proposed expressway, arguing that the project could weaken Kumasi’s position as a major economic centre which serve communities in Ghana’s middle belt and northern regions.

Speaking in a viral video, Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah stated, “The government wants to strategically destroy the Ashanti Region because it has become an economic hub.

The Accra-Kumasi highway connects the national administrative and commercial capital, Accra, with the cultural and trading hub of the middle belt and the northern gateway.

The primary job of the Ashanti people is trading, but that is going to change with the construction of the expressway,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has announced that $2 billion has been set aside to finance the construction of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway.

Mahama assured Ghanaians that funding will not be a challenge once work begins.

According to John Mahama, the money, which is taxpayers’ funds, has been placed in a special account at the Bank of Ghana to ensure prompt payment to the contractor throughout the project.

President Mahama also disclosed that all certificates presented by the contractor will be paid promptly to prevent construction delays.

Mahama also directed the Minister for Roads and Highways to incorporate the Ghana Armed Forces Engineers Regiment as a major subcontractor to the main contractor for the expressway.

Speaking at the handover ceremony of a 175.6-kilometre right-of-way cleared by the Ghana Armed Forces on Monday, September 14, “And let me also announce that this is our own money. We have not gone to borrow money from anywhere. This money is the taxpayers’ money”.

Also, Mahama disclosed that the proposed Accra-Kumasi Expressway will significantly reduce travel time between the two cities.

He revealed that the Accra-Kumasi Expressway to cut travel time to 2 hours when the project is completed.

Mahama stated, “When completed, as you were told, the recommended speed on the Expressway will be 120km per hour. You can drive at 120km per hour”.

“Even if he is travelling at 100km an hour, it means that the journey will take him two hours, instead of the five to six hours that we currently use on the old Accra-Kumasi highway,” President Mahama said.

Mahama emphasised that the reduced travel time would make it possible for people to commute between the two cities for business and return home the same day.

“And so Nana, when this Expressway is finished, you can leave Kumasi at 6am and you’ll be in Accra by 8am,” he stated.