“If NDC build a 2-tier Suame interchange, we shall dismantle it when we come to power” – NPP communicator

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A New Patriotic Party (NPP) communicator has made some shocking claims regarding the Mahama government’s decision to reduce the Suame interchange from four-tier.

According to the NPP Ashanti Regional communicator, should the NDC build a 2-tier Suame interchange, the NPP, upon assuming office in2028 will dismantle it and build a four-tier interchange.

Speaking on the Orange Sunrise show posted on X, the  Ashanti Regional NPP communicator boldly stated, “You don’t have the money to do this project that was started by the New Patriotic Party government. The assurance we are giving the people of Ashanti Region is that, Insha Allah, we are coming back in 2028.

 If the NDC build the 2-tier interchange, we shall dismantle it and make it a 4-tier interchange for the people of the Ashanti Region. What is this?”, he quizzed.  

In related news, former Roads Minister Francis Asenso-Boakye has slammed the Mahama government following the redesign of the Suame 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.”

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Asenso-Boakye stated,  “The two-tier plan proposed by the government will not resolve the ongoing traffic problems. Kumasi continues to grow, and effective traffic solutions are essential.

The financing for this project was secured through a loan agreement with a bank in Spain, which was approved by Parliament. Everything was set for the project when the debt restructuring occurred, leading to a withdrawal of resources. The previous government then obtained funding from Afreximbank for the Suame Interchange,” he said.

Meanwhile, 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”.

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