The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has disclosed that the Ministry has requested the recruitment of approximately 1,000 additional personnel to address staffing shortfalls and strengthen the operational capacity of agencies under the sector.

Speaking before Parliament’s Select Committee on Economy and Development, Mr Agbodza said the Ministry had requested the recruitment of about 1,000 additional staff to address growing personnel shortages across its agencies

According to Mr Agbodza, the request was submitted by the Ministry’s Chief Director in response to increasing pressure on existing staff and the expanding responsibilities of road agencies.

He explained that the staffing deficit has been intensified by the creation of six new administrative regions without a corresponding increase in personnel for the agencies responsible for road development and maintenance. As a result, several technical departments have been stretched beyond capacity, affecting the monitoring and supervision of projects.

Mr Agbodza noted that the shortage is particularly evident among engineers, quality assurance officers and other technical professionals whose roles are critical to ensuring that road projects meet required standards and are delivered efficiently.

“The staffing level of the agencies is far less than what it should be. If you consider the fact that we are investing heavily on these projects, part of the reason some of the projects suffer quality assurance is simply because we don’t have enough people to monitor these projects,” he told the committee.

He revealed that approval had already been secured for the recruitment of 137 staff for the Ghana Highways Authority, including engineers and quality, safety and environmental officers. However, he indicated that the scale of the challenge extends beyond a single agency.

“We’ve got approval for 137 staff at various level, QSEs, engineers and everything, but that was just for highways. The chief director has since submitted a request for about 1,000, because don’t forget, we created six new regions and didn’t actually staff them with new staff,” he said.

The Minister argued that inadequate staffing has implications for project oversight and quality control, especially at a time when significant public resources are being invested in road infrastructure across the country. He suggested that the inability to adequately monitor projects has contributed to quality assurance concerns in some cases.

The Ministry’s request comes as government continues to pursue major road construction and rehabilitation projects aimed at improving connectivity and supporting economic activity. However, sector officials maintain that achieving these objectives will require sufficient human resources to oversee implementation and ensure compliance with technical standards.

Mr Agbodza assured the committee that efforts are underway to address the personnel shortages and improve the effectiveness of agencies under the Ministry. He said strengthening staffing levels would enhance project monitoring, quality assurance and overall service delivery within the road sector.