Audio By Carbonatix
The Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) has dismissed claims that the government has spent nearly GH¢11 billion on the Accra-Kumasi Expressway project despite major construction works yet to begin.
In a statement issued on Thursday, July 16, 2026, the Department said the claims are based on a “misunderstanding of Government accounting procedures” and clarified that the funds remain intact in a dedicated Bank of Ghana account.
“The CAGD wishes to emphasise that these funds have not been paid to any contractor or spent on construction works. They remain in the dedicated Bank of Ghana account pending project execution,” the statement said.
The clarification follows discussions on social media suggesting that government had already expended the funds allocated for the major road project, although physical construction had not commenced.
The CAGD explained that the amount was transferred from the Consolidated Fund into an account managed by the Accra-Kumasi Expressway Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) established by the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) to oversee the implementation of the project.
According to the Department, the transfer was recorded as expenditure in the accounts of the Central Government because of standard public accounting procedures.
It, however, stressed that the accounting entry does not mean the receiving entity has spent the money on construction activities.
“Every transfer of money from the Central Government to another government entity outside the Central Government accounting group is recorded as Grant Expenditure in the books of the Central Government and as Grant Revenue in the books of the receiving entity,” CAGD explained.
The Department noted that the same accounting treatment applies to transfers made to institutions such as the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), GETFund and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
“It is therefore incorrect to conclude that because the transfer appears as expenditure in the accounts of Central Government, the funds have already been spent on the construction of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway,” it stated.
The Accra-Kumasi Expressway project is being implemented through the Accra-Kumasi Expressway Limited, which has been classified as a State-Owned Enterprise for funding and accounting purposes.
Government had earmarked proceeds from the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) and mineral royalties in the 2025 Budget to support the project after Parliament approved the concession arrangements.
The CAGD also clarified that ongoing right-of-way clearing activities being undertaken by the Ghana Armed Forces are separate from the main project financing and are not being funded from the GH¢11 billion allocation.
The Department assured the public that the accounting treatment applied to the project complies with Ghana’s Public Financial Management framework and established government accounting standards.
The Accra-Kumasi Expressway remains one of government’s flagship infrastructure projects, aimed at improving road connectivity between the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions and addressing longstanding challenges along the country’s busiest transport corridor.
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