The World Bank announced on Thursday approval of $500 million in financing for the Ghana Market Access and Connectivity Project (GMACP), benefiting more than 550,000 people.

The initiative is to improve rural road connectivity, strengthen agricultural value chains, expand economic opportunities, and create short-term direct jobs for rural communities across Ghana.

In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, the Bank said the project recognised that poor road conditions and inadequate maintenance had long constrained rural livelihoods in Ghana.

That, it noted, limited market access, drove up transport costs, and contributed to significant post-harvest losses.

The project was to directly address those challenges by rehabilitating and maintaining critical feeder roads in selected regions, improving all-season connectivity between rural production areas and key markets.

It would also enable farmers to reach buyers more efficiently, transition into higher-value agricultural activities, and unlock local job and income opportunities along agricultural value chains.

The statement said the project would be implemented by the Ministry of Roads and Highways, supporting the rehabilitation and maintenance of more than 1,000 kilometres of rural roads in the Upper West, Northern, Savannah, Oti, Volta, Eastern, Ashanti, Bono, and Western regions.

Those areas were being selected because they remained major producers of priority crops – including maize, rice, yam, and cassava – that were central to Ghana’s food security but constrained by poor market connectivity.

The implementation of the project was expected to also improve all-season access and reduce transport costs, shorten travel times, increase supply reliability, and open larger markets to smallholder farmers.

That was to ultimately reduce post-harvest losses, strengthening agricultural value chains, and contributing to lower food prices and improved food security, the statement noted.

“This project will improve access to markets and opportunities for rural communities while strengthening Ghana’s agricultural competitiveness and resilience,” said Robert Taliercio, World Bank Division Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

“It will directly benefit more than 550,000 people – including approximately 350,000 farmers, 250,000 women, and 310,000 youth. It is also expected to generate more than 5,000 direct jobs and over 25,000 indirect jobs through civil works and road maintenance activities.”

The GMACP incorporates climate-resilient design to ensure roads and drainage systems withstand climate risks over the long-term, with sustainability as a central pillar of the project.

The statement said it would help operationalise the Road Maintenance Trust Fund (RMTF) and introduce Performance-Based Contracts for road maintenance, while providing technical assistance to strengthen institutional capacity and ensure that rehabilitated roads remain functional beyond project completion.