A special purpose vehicle has been established under the Ghana Infrastructure Fund to manage and fund the newly proposed Accra-Kumasi Expressway project.

There will be a tolling system on the road, and all motorists will be required to pay tolls to use it, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza, has said.Mr Agbodza said the expressway would operate as a user-pay road and serve as an alternative to the existing Accra–Kumasi highway.

He explained that the road was being developed for drivers who prefer a shorter travel time and are willing to pay for it.

Speaking in a television interview with GTV, monitored by Graphic Online, on Monday [January 26, 2026], Mr Agbodza said the expressway was in line with the ECOWAS protocol, which requires an alternative toll route across the country.

“There could be somebody who is not bothered about travelling from Accra to Kumasi in six hours. There will also be somebody who says I need to get this done within two and a half hours or three hours. You pay and use the expressway,” Mr Agbodza said.

He said motorists who do not wish to pay tolls would continue to use the existing road.

According to the minister, the new expressway would be shorter than the current route, reducing the distance from about 250 kilometres to less than 200 kilometres. He said the reduced distance would bring travel time down to about two and half hours.

Mr Agbodza said the expressway would be developed under a concession arrangement and financed through toll revenue and other funding sources. He said the project would run on a 50 year concession.

He explained that a special purpose vehicle known as Accra Kumasi Expressway had been established under the Ghana Infrastructure Fund to manage and fund the project.

“It is a concession. You do not give a concession to highways to build and maintain a road for 50 years. We are creating a business vehicle that owns the asset and funds it,” he said.

The minister said the government was not providing the road as a free service and that funds invested in the project would have to be recovered over time.

“Government will have to repay the money. It is people’s money and must be repaid. For the expressway, recovery will take place over the 50 year period,” he said.

On tolling arrangements, Mr Agbodza said the government was close to selecting a national operator to manage a cashless tolling system based on an information technology platform.

“Government is completing a bidding process to select an operator to run a national toll policy on an IT platform. There will be no physical toll booths,” he said.

He said the system would allow different toll charges on various roads, including the Accra–Kumasi Expressway, and would rely on artificial intelligence technology.

Mr Agbodza said motorists would decide which route to use based on time and cost.

“If you want to travel from Accra to Kumasi in about two hours on the expressway, you pay more in tolls. If you prefer the six hour journey, you stay on the old road,” he said.

He added that feasibility studies and design work were ongoing, with construction expected to begin in 2026. He said President John Mahama is expected to cut the sod for the project later in the year.