The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Agbodza, has announced plans to launch a nationwide campaign aimed at curbing overloading on Ghana’s road network.

He stressed that excessive loads threaten the lifespan of newly built and rehabilitated roads.

Mr Agbodza said the initiative will be rolled out in the coming weeks and will be stakeholder-driven, involving transport operators, hawkers, and other road users to ensure compliance.

“If we spend all this money to build or rehabilitate the roads, and allow overloading, the roads will not last,” he warned.

He emphasised the need for collective responsibility to protect the country’s road infrastructure.

The minister highlighted the significant commitment made by President John Dramani Mahama to improve the road network across the country, a promise reiterated during his campaign and in ongoing engagements with stakeholders.

“The president has already made a huge commitment to the people of Ghana to improve the road network across the country. You heard him personally say that during the campaign and even till today, wherever he goes to meet stakeholders, everybody is talking about the need for the road network wherever they need to improve,” Mr Agbodza said.

He explained that the bulk of core road projects have now been awarded, and the focus has shifted to ensuring that contractors and consultants adhere to high-quality standards in construction and materials.

“While it is our responsibility to make sure that we specify and insist they use the right materials, it is going to be a collective effort to make sure that when we spend these monies, we actually get the best running in terms of quality materials,” the minister said.

In an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, Mr Agbodza stressed that the campaign against overloading is not intended as a punitive measure, but rather a collaborative effort to prolong the lifespan of Ghana’s roads.

“We want it to be stakeholder-driven, so we are going to launch a campaign to bring stakeholders, hawkers, transporters, everybody on board to make sure when the core of the policy comes out it can be implemented and everybody will abide to reduce unnecessary overloading on our roads,” he said.

The minister reiterated that the campaign, which will include public education and regulatory enforcement, is part of broader efforts to ensure that the government’s road infrastructure investment delivers sustainable and long-lasting results.