Ranking Member on the Transport Committee of Parliament has accused President Akufo-Addo of cooking up figures in his speech on roads.

Speaking on Top Story on Wednesday, Governs Kwame Agbodza said the data on roads does not exist.

According to him, data from the Road Ministry during a press briefing in 2021 captured that there had been 68.5 km of new road constructed and 1463 km of asphalt overlays.

“I concede that that figure of 1463 today between the day the press was done and today would have been more. I can even give them even 1600 km, even 2000 km which is actually over estimation… so how on earth does the President stand in front of Parliament, the people’s representative and conjure a figure of 10,000 km, it has not happened,” he added.  

Mr Agbodza's comment follows President Akufo-Addo's claims that his government has amassed the greatest achievement in the road sector since he assumed office in 2017.

The President, while delivering the 2022 State of the Nation Address on Wednesday, said his government has constructed some 10,875 kilometres of new roads within the five years he has been in office.

This, he said, is an unprecedented achievement in the infrastructure sector in the history of Ghana.

“In the five years of my government, so far, more roads have been built, improved and upgraded than at any other equivalent period under any government in the history of Ghana. Some 10,875 kilometres of new roads have been constructed in these five years.

“Mr Speaker, it is in the road sector that we have registered the greatest infrastructure achievement,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, commissioned the Tamale Interchange, the fourth interchange built by government since 2017.

Mr Kwame Agbodza noted that with the country's history, it is difficult to start and finish a road project within 12 months therefore does not comprehend “why the President would deliberately put out this figure when just few weeks Roads Minister, Amoako Atta gave a breakdown of the 4200 km of roads done.”

He, therefore, dared President Akufo-Addo to provide data on the roads he claimed to have completed.

“How do you do re-graveling and call it a completed road. It is just a maintenance programme so on that leap the only thing that you speak of has been done is 68.5km and the asphaltic overlays that are going that can easily be 1,500 km,” he said.

The MP further said the President’s projection of completed roads during his speech is ‘a lie.’