Home - How Accra-Kumasi Expressway could hurt Ashanti Region - Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah explains

Ghanaian media personality Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah has accused the government of pursuing a deliberate plan to undermine the Ashanti Region, arguing that the proposed Accra-Kumasi Expressway could change the region's economic fortunes.

He believes 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.

Speaking in a viral video sighted by GhanaWeb on November 7, 2026,
Afrifa-Mensah argued that trading has traditionally been a major source of livelihood for people in the region, largely because of its strategic location.

However, he is of the view that the expressway could affect the economic fortunes of the region, questioning the true intentions of the project.

“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.

The proposed 198.7-kilometre Accra-Kumasi Expressway is expected to provide a faster alternative for motorists travelling between the two major cities.

The road will begin at Ablekuma in Accra, connect to the Anyaa-Awoshie road and pass through several communities, including Adeiso, Asamankese, Akim Oda, Ayirebi, Ofoase, Enikawkaw, Gyadamwa, Achiase and Kwaso, before terminating at Sewua in the Ashanti Region and linking with the Lake Bosomtwe road.

The project has been designed with a 23.1-kilometre four-lane dual carriageway section within the two ring roads, while the remaining 175.6 kilometres will be a six-lane dual carriageway expressway.

6 Lanes, 8 Interchanges, 55 Bridges and More: Key features of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway

It will also have eight interchanges, four service areas and two mainline toll stations.

President John Dramani Mahama has announced that financing for the project has been secured. He has said the completed road will significantly reduce travel time between Accra and Kumasi, making movement between the country's two major cities easier.

Additionally, the expressway is expected to improve access to communities along the route and create opportunities for businesses, transport operators and other commercial activity.

See the video below

President John Dramani Mahama cut the sod for the project on 27 April 2026, marking the formal start of works aimed at improving airside connectivity, easing congestion, and enhancing the overall passenger experience. The initiative forms part of broader modernisation efforts by the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) to expand capacity and position the airport as a stronger regional hub.— Forgetti Bibiaa Beye Foine🇬🇭 (@Kayphoreva) November 7, 2026

JKB/EB

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