The Minister of Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has highlighted the importance of good governance to sustainable infrastructure to spur development in Ghana.

In a statement read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhassan Suhuyini, as the Special Guest of Honour at the Ghana Infrastructure Conference 2025 (GIC 2025), held at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, Accra, on Wednesday, 6^th August, 2025, Mr Agbodza set the parameters that should be the hallmark of apt governance.

“It is about ensuring that every project is transparently procured, properly supervised and diligently maintained. It is also about fighting inefficiency, eliminating waste and holding both public and private actors accountable.”

According to the roads minister, the theme for the Conference: “Rethinking Infrastructure for Development: Governance, Ethics and Strategic Planning Perspective”, speaks directly to the challenges and opportunities faced by the country.

He stated that the theme aligns closely with the vision of the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the collective responsibility to build an infrastructure systems that is modern and inclusive, resilient and ethically managed.

He commended the partners of the Ghana Infrastructure Conference 2025, namely, Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE), Ghana Transportation Professionals Forum (USA) and the Regional Transport Research and Education Centre Kumasi (TRECK) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), for keeping ethics on the national agenda.

The minister reminded the participants, who were mostly engineers and academia that rethinking infrastructure is not the job of government alone.

“It is a shared national responsibility. We need bold engineers, ethical contractors, proactive researchers, engaged communities and strong institutions,” he noted.

Dean od the University of Ghana Business School Prof. Justice N. Bawole was the keynote speaker at the conference who delivered a speech on the theme,“Role and Need for Ethical Governance in Infrastructure Development”.

The governance expert pointed out that infrastructure is not simply about concrete and steel but trust.

“It is about the promise that public resources—our taxes, donor funds, and natural resource revenues—will be used responsibly to advance collective well-being. When governance is ethical, infrastructure serves as a bridge to opportunity; when it is not, infrastructure becomes a monument to misplaced priorities, waste, and corruption,” he said.

Prof Bawole explained that ethical governance refers to the practice of leading, managing, and making decisions in public and private institutions guided by moral principles and integrity.

“It involves going beyond mere compliance with laws and regulations to uphold higher standards of fairness, transparency, and accountability—even when the law is silent or weak,” he observed.

In the context of infrastructure development, he pointed out that ethical governance means that every phase—from planning and procurement to construction and maintenance—is guided by a commitment to serve the public interest, safeguard resources, and deliver value to present and future generations.

“Ethical governance as a blend of virtue exhibited in character, duty, and outcomes. In practical terms, it is about ensuring that decisions are not just legal, but morally defensible and socially just,” he stressed.

The Vice President of GhIE, Ing. Dr. Patrick Amoah Bekoe, who spoke on behalf of the President of GhIE, Ing. Ludwig Annang Hesse, said, the state of Ghana’s infrastructure remains a pressing concern.

“The public is rightly troubled by the lack of maintenance of critical public assets. While we urge the government to prioritize infrastructure maintenance, I also call on my fellow practitioners to uphold ethical standards in all projects. Regrettably, there are charlatans—individuals not registered under the Engineering Council of Ghana Act (Act 819)—who pose as professionals, tarnishing the reputation of our noble profession. In the coming weeks, the Engineering Council will intensify efforts to hold such individuals accountable,” he hinted.

Remarks were delivered by other partners of the Ghana Infrastructure Conference.

Dr. Kwaku Boakye, PE (President of GTPF), Prof. Helen Essandoh (Director of TRECK) and Ing. Dr. Patrick Amoah Bekoe, Vice President of GhIE.          

Dr. Dan P. Seedah, PE, Global Principal Data Insights and Predictive Analytics, delivered a presentation on the Benefits and Challenges of Digitization, Data and Technology in Ethical Governance.

The two days conference, which started on 6^th August and ends on 7^th August, discussed topics related to the theme and presented a communique to the minister of roads and highways for his consideration.

Present at the conference included the immediate past President of GhIE, Ing. Kwabena Bempong; former President of GhIE, Ing. Magnus Lincoln Quarshie; Ag. Executive Director of GhIE, Ing. Samuel Magnus Asiedu; as well as former President of GhIE and TRECK Director, Rev. Prof Ing. Charles Anum Adams.