By Ken Sackey
Tema, Aug. 26, GNA- President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Monday cut sod for the reconstruction of the Accra-Tema Motorway and Extension project.
Messers Maripoma Limited, a wholly owned Ghanaian corporation, is undertaking the $350 million project through a Public Private Partnership (PPP).
The project, which is expected to be finished in 36 months, would include a 10-lane expressway and partial access control urban highways for local community traffic.
It also includes the reconstruction of the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, the creation of a new Teshie Link Interchange, the construction of a new Community 18 junction, designing a new Lashibi Interchange, and the integration of the Flowerpot, Ashaiman, and Tema Interchanges.
The plan also involves the construction of eight toll plazas, ten new footbridges, the reconstruction of the Polo Junction on Liberation Road and the Emmanuel Eye Clinic Junction on JJ Rawlings Avenue, as well as adequate drainage, street lighting, and furniture.
At a brief ceremony, President Akufo-Addo said the commencement of the motorway reconstruction was a day of progress and promise because the project was pivotal for the country.
He said that the Accra-Tema Motorway, which was inaugurated in 1965 by the country’s first President Kwame Nkrumah, had been a critical artery for the country’s development for 60 years.
“Designed with a 50-year lifespan, this iconic road has withstood the test of time, carrying an average of 45,000 vehicles per day, an extraordinary proof of its importance. However, the time has come for us to renew this legacy and ensure that it continues to serve the people of Ghana for generations to come,” he noted.
The project would be completed in three sections: the Accra-Tema Motorway roundabout to the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange to the Apenkwa Interchange, and the Apenkwa Interchange to the Neoplan Junction on the Accra-Kumasi Road.
The President said the move marked the beginning of a “bold and innovative” approach to infrastructure development in the country through PPP.
“By uniting the expertise and resources of both public and private sectors, and with the strategic backing of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund GIFT, we are not merely constructing a road, we are building a future,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo noted that the PPP model showed the ideals of efficiency, sustainability, and fiscal responsibility while delivering that world-class infrastructure.
“The Accra-Tema Motorway, an extension of the PPP project, stands as a symbol of progress, demonstrating Ghana’s capacity to innovate and lead in the realm of infrastructure development,” he said.
Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, Minister of Finance, said the project would be delivered through a PPP agreement between the Government of Ghana, acting through the Ghana Highways Authority, and AT Express Limited, under a 30-year design, finance, build, operate and maintain the arrangement.
He described the arrangement as an ambitious attempt to build world-class infrastructure by utilising the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, while ensuring value for money for Ghanaian taxpayers.
The Minister said that $380 million in equity and viability gap finance had been acquired for the project through the government’s strategic leadership and the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund.
He emphasized that by taking a PPP approach, “we can invite financial institutions and a wide range of investors to further contribute to financing our nation’s future.”
Mr. Francis Assenso Boakye, Minister of Roads and Highways, remarked that the project’s benefits could not be exaggerated, stating that completion would boost economic activity and improve the quality of life for millions of Ghanaians.
“This project will also create jobs, improve the skills of Ghanaians who will be engaged in the works,
and serve as a blueprint for future infrastructure developments across the country,” he said.
GNA