Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Finance, Dr Theophilius Acheampong, has indicated that the government's 2026 mid-year budget review will provide Parliament with updates on major infrastructure projects while outlining measures to improve value for money in public spending.

Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Thursday, July 23, ahead of the finance minister's presentation to Parliament, Dr Acheampong said the review would focus not only on the progress of key government initiatives but also on reforms aimed at strengthening monitoring, compliance and accountability in the use of public funds.

He acknowledged concerns over the quality of public infrastructure, particularly roads, saying the state of many roads reflects broader challenges with public expenditure.

"You could barely drive one or two kilometres without seeing some major pothole in the middle of the road. So that is not in doubt, that we have major issues with the quality of public expenditure overall, including going into, for example, the roads and all of that, and the issue of what I'll call broader value for money on what we spend on," he said.

According to Dr Acheampong, the Mid-year Budget Review will provide updates on several flagship infrastructure projects that the government has already announced.

"Specifically within the mid-year budget, you're going to get an update on a lot of the key policy initiatives that the government had mentioned and signalled," he stated.

He said Parliament would receive progress reports on projects including the Accra-Kumasi Expressway, regional road developments, and agricultural enclave roads.

"So you will get an update on what we're doing on the Accra-Kumasi Expressway; you will get an update on what we're doing on some of the regional roads; you'll get an update on what we're doing when it comes to the other agricultural enclave roads," he explained.

Dr Acheampong also highlighted the importance of the World Bank-supported agricultural roads programme, noting that improved road infrastructure would facilitate the movement of food from production centres to markets and help ease inflationary pressures.

"So you get an update on all these key major projects and interventions," he added.

Beyond project implementation, Dr Acheampong stressed that government reforms are placing greater emphasis on ensuring that contractors deliver quality work that reflects the value of public investment.

"But above all, I think there's also a question really about monitoring and compliance and then making sure that those monies that we're giving out for contractors are actually delivering on the quality and the standards that are required," he said.

Expressing concern about the lifespan of some recently constructed roads, he questioned whether projects were meeting expected engineering standards.

"When I was growing up, I was told that they're meant to be built for at least 25, 30 years. These days, the roads are built, and within five years, you go and you wonder what quantities were put into them."

He said the government is strengthening enforcement and compliance measures to ensure that every cedi allocated to public projects delivers the intended results.

"So we're doing quite a lot of work now, actually, on the enforcement and then the compliance side. We're saying that it's not enough just to give the money.

"You have to follow up and make sure that for every cedi that is being committed to a project, the value is delivered out of that," he said.

Dr Acheampong added that one of the key reforms introduced this year is the establishment of the Office for Value for Money, which will scrutinise major government expenditure to ensure prudent use of public resources.

"Hence, as part of the reforms that have happened this year, you have the Office for Value for Money that has been established, and then that is going to be putting a lot of emphasis on some of these big-ticket spend items, including, for example, in areas like IT and other infrastructure to ensure that public money or public resources deliver public good at the best cost for Ghanaians."