President John Mahama has announced that the procurement process for the construction of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway has begun, with the Ghana Armed Forces expected to serve as a major subcontractor on the project.

He said the expressway should be viewed as a national infrastructure project because of its potential to improve connectivity between the southern and northern parts of Ghana.

President Mahama made the remarks when the Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, led by its President, Nana Barima Twereku Ampem III, paid a courtesy call on him at the Presidency.

The President said the military had successfully cleared the right-of-way for the project and subsequently handed it over to the government.

He commended the Ghana Armed Forces for the work and said the next stage was to select the main contractor to undertake construction.

He explained that the Ghana Armed Forces would remain involved in the project by serving as a major subcontractor to the main contractor.

“The military would serve as the major subcontractor to the main contractor,” he said.

President Mahama also expressed confidence that construction would progress sufficiently for the country to gather again in about three years to commission what he described as a historic road.

Nana Barima Twereku Ampem III welcomed the project, saying its completion would facilitate the movement of people, goods and services between the Ahafo Region and Accra.

The President stressed that the expressway would serve a broader national purpose beyond its role as a link between Accra and Kumasi, describing it as an important road link between the southern and northern parts of the country.