$30 million road scandal: Minister goes after Indian contractor – Nsemkeka
A staggering revelation has rocked Ghana’s infrastructure sector, as Roads Minister Kwame Agbordza disclosed in Parliament today, Thursday, June 5, 2025, that nearly $30 million has been paid to a contractor for a road project that stands at a mere one percent physical completion, with the site barely cleared.
The project, initiated with much fanfare, has been effectively abandoned, drawing sharp condemnation and a firm vow from the Minister to retrieve the funds.
Mr Agbordza, expressing profound dismay, informed the House that the total documented cost for the project is $158,617,764.
Yet, the contractor has already claimed $29,648,180 for work that he described as not even completing “clearing of the site”.
Compounding the outrage, the same contractor is now attempting to claim an additional $14 million, ostensibly to be allowed to terminate the contract and walk away with the initial payment.
“As a Roads Minister, knowing that I owe Ghanaian contractors over GH¢21 billion for work they have genuinely done, it is quite disheartening that at the same time that we are unable to pay Ghanaian contractors, we have paid somebody $30 million. And the person is basically asking us that we should let him go with our $30 million,” Mr Agbordza stated, highlighting the stark disparity in resource allocation and accountability.
The Minister’s resolve to reclaim the funds was unequivocal.
“We shall be able to use the laws within our country to demand that $30 million worth of work is done, or we take the legal actions to make sure that we retrieve it,” he declared, signalling a looming legal battle.
The project in question was ceremoniously launched by then-Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in June 2022.
The revelation of this $30 million project effectively yielding only 1% progress underscores broader concerns about contract management, value for money, and oversight in public infrastructure projects.
It raises pressing questions about accountability and the protection of taxpayer funds in the face of significant national debt and widespread infrastructure needs.
The government’s immediate focus will now be on implementing legal strategies to either compel the contractor to complete the work commensurate with payments or recover the substantial public funds lost.