Robert R. Taliercio, World Bank Division Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone,
By Kwabena Adu Koranteng
Ghana’s extensive road network is facing a major infrastructure deficit, with only 27 per cent of the country’s 94,200-kilometre road network paved, according to the World Bank.
The Bank further disclosed that more than half of Ghana’s roads are in fair-to-poor condition, raising concerns about the impact of deteriorating transport infrastructure on economic growth, agricultural productivity, job creation and the cost of doing business.
The warning was contained in the World Bank’s assessment of Ghana’s transport infrastructure and was highlighted at the launch of its Tenth Ghana Economic Update in Accra.
Robert R. Taliercio, World Bank Division Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, said Ghana’s road challenge should not be viewed merely as an infrastructure problem.
“This is not just an infrastructure story. It’s a growth story, competitiveness story, and a job story.”
ROADS HOLDING BACK ECONOMY
The poor condition of Ghana’s roads has serious implications for the movement of people, goods and services across the country.
Businesses operating in areas with poor road connectivity face higher transportation and distribution costs, which can ultimately push up the prices paid by consumers.
The impact is particularly severe in rural communities, where feeder roads serve as the principal link between farming communities, production centres and markets.
For farmers, inadequate roads can mean delays in transporting agricultural produce, increased vehicle operating costs and significant post-harvest losses.
The World Bank therefore considers improved road connectivity essential to boosting agricultural productivity, expanding market access and creating sustainable livelihoods in rural Ghana.
73% OF NETWORK UNPAVED
With only 27 per cent of the national road network paved, approximately 73 per cent remains unpaved.
The scale of the deficit presents a major challenge to Ghana’s ambition of building an efficient and competitive economy.
Reliable transport infrastructure is critical to domestic commerce, regional trade, private-sector investment and poverty reduction.
Poor roads can isolate communities, limit access to markets and essential services, and make it more difficult for businesses to operate efficiently.
The World Bank has consequently urged Ghana to pursue a more coordinated and sustainable approach to transport infrastructure development rather than focusing exclusively on the construction of new roads.
MAINTENANCE CRISIS
One of the major concerns identified by the World Bank is the need to improve road maintenance.
Mr. Taliercio warned that constructing new roads without establishing reliable systems to maintain them would simply create a recurring cycle of deterioration.
“Building roads without maintaining them simply accelerates the cycle of degradation that we are all trying to break.”
The warning highlights a longstanding challenge confronting Ghana’s infrastructure sector, where inadequate and inconsistent funding for road maintenance has contributed to the deterioration of existing roads.
The World Bank is therefore calling for stronger institutional coordination and sustainable financing mechanisms capable of protecting investments already made in the country’s road network.
CALL FOR ROAD MAINTENANCE TRUST FUND
Among the measures proposed by the World Bank is the operationalisation of the Road Maintenance Trust Fund, which is expected to provide a more sustainable financing mechanism for road maintenance.
The Bank also wants Ghana to develop a unified national transport sector strategy capable of coordinating road, rail and other transportation investments.
It has further recommended revitalising freight-led rail services and adopting climate-resilient infrastructure standards to ensure that transport infrastructure can withstand increasingly severe weather conditions.
$500M PROJECT TO TARGET FEEDER ROADS
The World Bank is supporting Ghana’s efforts to address the infrastructure deficit through the US$500 million Ghana Market Access and Connectivity Project.
The project is expected to finance the rehabilitation of approximately 1,050 kilometres of feeder roads, particularly in areas where poor connectivity is restricting agricultural production, market access and rural economic activity.
The targeted investment is intended to connect underserved communities to markets and unlock economic opportunities for farmers and other rural businesses.
However, the World Bank has stressed that such investments must be accompanied by effective maintenance systems.
A NATIONAL ECONOMIC CHALLENGE
The condition of Ghana’s roads has implications far beyond transportation.
An inefficient road network can increase the cost of moving food from farms to markets, raise logistics expenses for businesses and discourage investment in areas with inadequate connectivity.
For a country seeking to diversify its economy, expand manufacturing and strengthen agriculture, transport infrastructure remains a fundamental component of economic transformation.
The World Bank’s assessment therefore places renewed pressure on policymakers to move beyond the construction of roads as isolated projects and develop a comprehensive national strategy for road development, maintenance and transport integration.
BUILD AND MAINTAIN
The message from the World Bank is clear: Ghana cannot achieve maximum economic benefits from road construction without ensuring that existing infrastructure is properly maintained.
The country’s 94,200-kilometre road network, of which only 27 per cent is paved, represents both a major development challenge and an opportunity for economic transformation.
But without sustainable financing, effective maintenance, stronger institutional coordination and strategic planning, new investments could eventually suffer the same deterioration affecting portions of the existing network.
For Ghana, the challenge is no longer simply about building more roads.
It is about building the right roads, maintaining them properly and ensuring that the country’s transport infrastructure becomes a genuine engine of growth, competitiveness, jobs and poverty reduction.
