Governs Kwame Agbodza, the Minister for Roads and Highways, has fired back at the former Roads minister Francis Asenso-Boakye following his criticism of the redesign of the Suame interchange.
According to Governs Kwame Agbodza, Asenso-Boakye and the NPP are to blame for their misplaced priorities under their administration.
He highlighted that the NPP’s over $100 million on the National Cathedral could have financed at least half of the Suame Interchange project.
The Roads Minister, in a statement, stated, “Over $100 million was spent on the National Cathedral. With that amount, you could have completed half of the Suame Interchange, which would have saved the people of the Ashanti Region from years of delay and inconvenience.”
He explained, “Construction of the outer ring road will divert most of the traffic up north from the city centre. Suame will therefore require less capacity than originally projected”.
“The fourth-tier bridge would have affected multiple commercial properties, the Suame Police Station, and parts of Garden City Mall land, with costs exceeding half of the original construction budget,” Mr Agbodza said.
He added, “Kumasi deserves the best, and this modification, combined with ongoing complementary road works, will deliver a modern, efficient road network for the city and the Ashanti Region”.
Governs Kwame Agbodza, also rebuked Francis Asenso-Boakye for failing the people of the Ashanti Region over the delays in the Suame Interchange project in Kumasi.
He added, “You failed the people of the Ashanti Region. If the project had been completed by 2024, as was promised, we wouldn’t be talking about this critical project today.”
“We are making decisions based on current realities and value for money. Kumasi deserves the best, and this modification, together with the outer ring road and other complementary works, will deliver a modern, efficient road network for the Ashanti Region,” Mr Agbodza added.
The Roads Minister was responding to criticisms from Mr Asenso-Boakye regarding the redesign of the interchange.
Speaking on behalf of the Ashanti caucus of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Parliament, Asenso-Boakye questioned the government’s funding priorities following the decision to downgrade the Suame Interchange Project.
The former Roads Minister quizzed why the government could mobilise funds for other major road projects while the Suame Interchange is being scaled back.
He further cited the public statements by the Finance Minister Ato Forson, who announced that GHS 43 billion has been allocated to road infrastructure this year.
Asenso-Boakye questioned why a fraction of that funding could not be used to complete the Suame Interchange as it was originally designed.
“If government could mobilise funds for the Ofankor–Nsawam road and other major projects, why is the Suame Interchange being short-changed?” he queried.
“Kumasi deserves infrastructure that meets its scale and significance,” Mr Asenso-Boakye said. “Short-changing major projects now will cost the city and the nation—far more in the long term.”