General News of Monday, 11 May 2026

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

'We're not extravagant' - Roads Minister explains convoy size during tours

Kwame Governs Agbodza is Minister of Roads and Highways Kwame Governs Agbodza is Minister of Roads and Highways

The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has explained why official convoys often appear larger during regional inspection tours.

According to him, the additional vehicles usually belong to local officials and engineers joining the exercise.

He was speaking during an inspection of road projects under the government’s Big Push agenda on May 10, 2026.

'Condition of roads in the country nothing to be proud of' - Roads minister

“We are normally seven maximum cars. But once you get into a region, Urban Roads, Highways, the regional minister, the MP and the DCE join, making the convoy look bigger. The way we work, if I am going, my deputy is going and we have one vehicle with our security and my directors.

"Whilst we meet at one place, they need to lead you to the next place. So that accounts for the size of the convoy; we are not extravagant. We don't have fleet of cars sitting, driving around,” he explained.

Governs Agbodza also disclosed that although the government initially decided not to pay mobilisation fees to contractors, the decision was later reviewed to support ongoing projects.

According to him, many contractors did not even apply for advance mobilisation payments, while others who initially applied later withdrew their requests.

“Initially we were not going to pay mobilisation to contractors, but later we decided to pay. So as a matter of fact, the majority of the contractors didn’t even apply for advance mobilisation. In fact, some of them applied and even withdrew because they just want to work, recertificate and get paid,” he said.

The minister said the government is monitoring the projects closely as work continues across various regions.

The "Big Push" initiative is a significant infrastructure development programme in Ghana aimed at addressing the long-standing infrastructure deficit.

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