The Accra-Kumasi Expressway will be operated as a commercial asset to enable the government to recover taxpayers’ investment in the project, Chief Executive Officer of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway Limited, Francis Ahlidza, has said.

According to him, government has established the Accra-Kumasi Expressway Limited as a special-purpose company to oversee the development, design, construction and maintenance of the expressway.

Speaking on Joy News’ The Pulse on Monday, September 14, Mr Ahlidza explained that the arrangement is intended to give the project the appropriate legal and commercial structure to ensure that the investment in the highway is recovered within the concession period.

“What government has done is to establish a limited liability company and entrusted it with developing, designing, constructing and maintaining this asset, so that this asset is not treated as any other national road asset, but given the right legal clouting to be able to run this expressway as a business so that the taxpayers' money that is being put into this project can be fully recovered within the concession period of the project,” he said.

He said the company will also oversee the maintenance of the expressway once construction is completed.

Mr Ahlidza stated that the Ghana Armed Forces has completed the clearance and definition of the right of way for the proposed expressway.

He said the next major step is the procurement process, which has already begun, with the designs for the project completed.

Construction firms from across the world with the requisite technical capacity will be invited to express interest, after which qualified firms will be shortlisted and invited to tender.

“We expect it to begin by January of 2027,” Mr Ahlidza said, adding that government intends to cut the sod for the actual works before Christmas.

He said additional facilities required to support normal travel along the expressway would also be constructed as part of the project.