Ministry of Roads and Highways

Introduction

The Ministry of Roads and Highways has four departments/agencies under it, namely:
1. Ghana Highway Authority, in charge of the trunk roads;

2. Department of Feeder Roads, in charge of the feeder roads systems within the districts;

3. Department of Urban Roads, in charge of the urban roads network in the cities and the municipalities;

4. Ghana Road Fund Secretariat, in charge of the management of the day to day activities of the Road Fund under the direction of the secretary of the Road Fund Board;

The following sections present the Mission Statements, Vision and Brief History about all the departments under the Ministry including the legal frameworks for the existence of the departments.

Ministry of Roads and Highways

Minister : Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemana

Telephone (+233-302) 671328
302-661575
Fax (+233-302) 688759
Post Office Box M.57
Accra
Ghana

Vision
The vision of the Ministry of Roads and Highways is “To provide and maintain an integrated, cost-effective and sustainable road transport network responsive to the needs of users, supporting growth and poverty reduction”

Mission
The Ministry’s mission is “To formulate the requisite policies, monitor and evaluate programmes and projects to ensure the provision of affordable, integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable road transport network that will meet the economic, social and environmental needs as well as national and international standards.”

Brief History
As a result of nearly total breakdown of the country’s road infrastructure in the early 1980s, there was the need for a dedicated Ministry to be created for the short to medium term to focus on improving the infrastructure and putting in place sustainable maintenance systems.
The Ministry was therefore created initially as Ministry of Roads and Highways in 1982 to improve the condition of the road infrastructure.

In 1997, a new Ministry of Roads and Transport was created out of the then Ministry of Roads and Highways and Transport and Communication to take oversight responsibility of all the transport modes.

In 2003, however, a separate Ministry of Ports, Harbours and Railways was created for the maritime and rail sub-sectors therefore leaving the Ministry of Roads and Transport to be in charge of only the road infrastructure, aviation and services. In 2005 a new ministry of Road Transport was created for only the road sub-sector with the aviation sub-sector being under a newly created Ministry of Aviation.

In 2009, the Ministry was re-instated as Ministry of Roads and Highways with a specific focus on the road sub-sector.

Ghana Highway Authority

Mission
The Mission of the Ghana Highway Authority is to provide a safe and reliable trunks road network at optimal cost by taking advantage of modern technology in the road building and new income generating methods to facilitate socio-economic development in the country.

Brief History
The Authority was established in December 1974 by NRC Decree 298. Furthermore, the Ghana Highway Authority Act 540, was also re-enacted in December 1997 to reflect changes that have occurred in the road sector and gave the Ghana Highway Authority the mandate for the planning, development, management and administration of the trunk road network.

Department of Feeder Roads

Vision
To ensure that 80 per cent of rural communities in Ghana can access a feeder road within 2km radius at optimum cost under a decentralised system by 2020.

Mission
The Department of Feeder Roads exists to ensure the provision of safe all weather accessible feeder roads at optimum cost to facilitate the movement of people, goods and services and to promote socio-economic development, in particular agriculture.

Brief History
The Department of Feeder Roads was created in 19181 as a civil service organisation under the Ministry of Works and Housing via an Administrative order. The feeder road network was transferred from Ghana Highway Authority to this newly created organisation.

Department of Urban Roads

Vision
The Department of Urban Roads (DUR) is dedicated to the creation of decentralised Road Units in the Metropolitan/Municipal/District assemblies (MMDAs) for the provision and management of the urban road network in support of quality transport systems.

Mission
The department of Urban Roads (DUR) will assist in building capacity in the MMDAs to provide quality urban road transport system for the safe mobility of goods and people.

Brief History
The Department of Urban Roads was created in 1988 as a civil service organisation under the Ministry of Roads and Highways through an Administrative order. The feeder road network was transferred from the Ghana Highway Authority to this newly created organisation.

Ghana Road Fund Secretariat

Vision
The vision of the Ghana Road Fund is to provide adequate and sustainable financial resources to ensure the regular maintenance of Ghana’s road network through efficient and effective management of the fund.

Mission
The Mission of the Ghana Road Fund is to provide funding for the maintenance of Ghana’s road fund.

Brief History
The Ghana Road Fund was established under the Ministry of Finance in 1985 under an Administrative order with the aim of providing a secure source of funding for road maintenance in Ghana.

Until July1997, it was jointly managed by the Ministries of Finance, Roads & Highways and Controller & Accountant General’s Department.
In 1997, the Government restricted the Road Fund. Under this restructured plan, a comprehensive legal framework – Road Fund Act, Act 536 of 1997 was promulgated to regulate the management of the Fund.

Under this law, the Road Fund Management Board was set up to manage the Fund. The 13-member Board has 5 from the Public Sector and 8 representing Private Sector with the Minister and Chief Director for the Ministry of Roads and Highways being the Chairman and Secretary of the Board respectively.