Roads Minister Sets Record Straight on Big Push, Suame Interchange and Unpaid Contractor Debt
The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has clarified that the number of projects under the government’s original Big Push Programme stands at 54, urging the public to ignore misleading claims that tag every road project as part of the programme.
Speaking on JoyNews PM Express on Tuesday, March 25, 2026, the Minister explained that Big Push programme is simply a tool for prioritization by government , to identify projects it wants to complete first, highlighting that other road projects outside the official list are equally important and will also be delivered in due course.
“So the 54 are actually what we call the Big Push projects, plus the 23, which were all projects innovated in the. The discussion about Big Push is that people are now beginning to see every road project that is ongoing as Big Push, and that is what the conversation has been.
So sometimes I hear some figures and I say, where do you get it from?” he clarified
“That is not what we meant. We are just saying that these ones are priority one of what we want to complete quickly and then the rest follow. So that is what it is.” he added
Addressing the controversy surrounding the Suame Interchange project in Kumasi, the Roads and Highways Minister dismissed claims by the Minority over the government’s decision to downgrade the design from a four-tier structure to a two or three-tier facility, describing their narrative as more political than engineering-based.
He added that whatever amount is saved from dropping the fourth tier will be redirected towards fixing roads around the interchange, many of which are currently in a poor state.
“ It has nothing to do with engineering.
It’s pure politics.Whatever savings are made out of not building the fourth tier will be applied to let’s start building the road from the interchange towards Mampong, which is a road in a very terrible condition currently.” he stated
The Minister also revealed that work on the interchange had stalled due to an amount in excess of $23 million owed to the contractor for work already done but left unpaid.
“But it stopped because we were owing the contractor in excess of $23 million of work done and not paid for.” he added
The Minister also revealed that an amount of over 40 billion has been set aside for the Big Push Programme this year, explaining that the allocation from last year was not fully utilised and has therefore carried over, adding up to the 30 billion allocated by the Finance Ministry this year.
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