The Accra-Tema Motorway will once again be subject to tolls, according to Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
He claimed that would cover the infrastructure’s ongoing costs, reimburse lenders, and give equity investors a return.
The Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Maintain (DBFOM) Accra-Tema Motorway and Extension PPP Project, a 27.7 km stretch, is at the procurement stage with site works anticipated to start in September 2022, according to the Finance Minister, who gave the 2022 Mid-Year Budget Review of the Government on Monday in Parliament in Accra. This project is part of the Ministry of Roads and Highways Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program for road infrastructure.
He added that the Accra-Tema Motorway and Extensions Project had been acquired by the government through GIIF in accordance with the Public Private Partnership Act, 2020 (Act 1039), in order to deliver a GIIF-led PPP financing solution by generating the most money possible from the market.
“The GIIF, MoRH, Office of the Attorney General, and Ministry of Finance are now reviewing the draft Concession Agreement (CA) between GIIF and Ministry of Roads and Highways (MoRH). The PPP Committee, Cabinet, and Parliament are anticipated to adopt the CA once it is finished, according to Mr. Ofori-Atta.
“The finished road will be tolled to recover the whole cost of the finished infrastructure, pay lenders, and offer a return for equity investors,” he continued.
Through GIIF, the government of Ghana will contribute money in exchange for shares in the Special Purpose Vehicle that GIIF would establish for the project.
The government announced the imposition of tolls on all national roads and bridges in November 2021.
Despite the difficulties in generating money, Mr. Ofori-Atta reaffirmed that the government was committed to fixing all the country’s roads and added that the “Year of Roads” program was still on track.
For instance, he noted that great work had been achieved on Phase I of the Government’s Agreement with the Sinohydro Corporation Limited, which included Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts for a 442km of roadways and two interchanges.
These include the Tamale Interchange Project, which was finished and put into service; the PTC Roundabout Interchange Project, which is currently at a 35% completion rate; the upgrading of a few feeder roads in the Ashanti and Western regions, which was also finished; and the Sunyani Inner City Road Works, which are at a 63% completion rate.
Other significant road and bridge projects, according to Mr. Ofori-Atta, were also moving along steadily.
The La Beach Road Project (Lots 1 & 2), which included a 3-tier interchange at Nungua, was 34% and 50% complete as of June 2022, according to the Finance Minister, while phase II of the Obetsebi Lamptey Circle Interchange and the flyover on the Accra-Tema Motorway from the Flower Pot (Spintex road) were 57 and 30% complete as of the same month.
The upgrading of Salaga – Ekumdipe – Kpandai Road was at 70% completion as of the end of June 2022, he noted, and the Kumasi-Lake Roads and Drainage Extension project, the extension of the existing Aboabo drain, and the construction of the Chirapatere Bus Terminal were all at 92% complete.