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Government to use petroleum revenue to fund Accra-Kumasi expressway – Ato Forson
Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, says government will no longer borrow money to finance the Accra-Kumasi Expressway project, as it plans to use petroleum revenues and mineral royalties to fund major infrastructure projects.
Speaking at the Ishmael Yamson and Associates Business Roundtable held on Thursday at the Kempiski Gold Coast Hotel, Dr. Forson said the decision forms part of government’s “Big Push” agenda aimed at improving road infrastructure across the country.
According to him, government has earmarked about 4.5 billion cedis in this year’s budget for road infrastructure development, with a strong focus on major projects.
He explained that in the past, oil revenues were spread across several activities that did not directly support infrastructure development.
“We have changed the law. We have said that Ghana’s oil revenue should only be used for infrastructure projects,” he stated.
Dr. Forson said government now intends to dedicate petroleum revenues to one major project over a fixed period to ensure prudent use of state resources.
He disclosed that government raised nearly 500 million dollars from oil revenues last year and secured another 500 million dollars from mineral royalties following the rise in global gold prices.
According to him, the two revenue sources provided about one billion dollars, which is being used to finance the Accra-Kumasi Expressway project.
The Finance Minister noted that government expects to generate an additional 1.5 billion dollars this year, bringing the total available funds for the project to about 2.5 billion dollars over two years.
He said the Accra-Kumasi Expressway is expected to cost about 4 billion dollars, adding that government plans to fully finance the project without borrowing.
“We will fund it without borrowing,” he stressed.
Dr. Forson criticised past spending practices, saying portions of oil revenue were previously used for activities such as travel, conferences and other recurrent expenses instead of development projects.
He said government has stopped such practices and will instead focus on major infrastructure projects that will benefit the country in the long term.
According to him, after the completion of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway, government will identify another major infrastructure project for funding through the same approach.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Former Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has announced the burial and funeral arrangements for her father, the late Apostle Professor Emeritus Engineer Kwadwo Safo Kantanka.
According to her, during a press conference today, the burial service for the late Founder and Leader of the Kristo Asafo Mission will take place on July 30, 2026, at Gomoa Mpota in the Central Region.
She invited church members, family members and sympathisers to join the family in paying their final respects to the late religious leader.
“The venue for the burial service of our late father is Gomoa Mpota in the Central Region,” she stated.
Mrs. Adwoa Safo announced that the funeral service will be held on July 31, 2026, at the Independence Square in Accra.
She called on members of the Kristo Asafo Church, friends, loved ones and all individuals who benefited from the late Apostle Safo’s support and charity works to attend the funeral service.
According to her, the late Apostle Safo had a special love and concern for persons living with disabilities, and many of them would want to honour his memory.
“My father was a great fan of the disabled in our society and they would all want to identify with him on that day,” she said.
Mrs. Adwoa Safo further disclosed that a thanksgiving service would be held in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region on August 8, because the late Apostle Safo was a proud son of the Region.
She, however, noted that the funeral committee is still finalising the venue for the thanksgiving service and that details would be communicated later.
Apostle Prof. Kwadwo Safo Kantanka was widely known for his contributions to engineering, technology and religious leadership in Ghana.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The atmosphere at the New Patriotic Party’s regional secretariat in Damongo shifted from formalities to conviction when NPP national chairman hopeful Awentami Paul Afoko walked into a meeting with regional executives, the Council of Elders, and party patrons.
For those gathered in the Savannah Regional capital, the engagement felt less like a routine consultation and more like a moment of closure and reset for the party.
Afoko’s interaction quickly moved beyond standard political rhetoric. It became a session of reconciliation and recommitment, with a sharp focus on returning the NPP to power in 2028.
Regional executives were blunt about why his return mattered. “You have become a symbol of unity for the NPP considering what you have gone through,” Raphael Mahama Akati, Savannah Regional Youth Organiser
told him.
Many in the room referenced Afoko’s path: serving as National Chairman from 2014 to 2015, stepping back from frontline politics, and now re-emerging with a structured plan. To them, that journey proves the party can weather internal storms and emerge stronger.
That message ran through the meeting as some indicated that they have been inspired to put certain things behind them.
Members described him as a yardstick for patience and resilience, pointing to his decision to stay connected to the party’s base even while out of the spotlight.
Afoko anchored his remarks on his “3R” agenda – Reunite, Rebuild, Recapture. He told the gathering that unity without a plan for power is empty.
He urged the region to strengthen polling station structures, improve voter data, and begin mobilization now instead of waiting for election year.
“The NPP’s strength is that we absorb setbacks and return to fight smarter,” Afoko said, adding “That’s how we can take back government in 2028, and it starts with discipline in regions like Savannah.”
He described the 2028 mission as non-negotiable: reclaim power from the NDC, restore confidence in party structures, and ensure no region feels sidelined.
The Damongo stop adds to Afoko’s ongoing tour of regional engagements as he consolidates support for the Mational Chairmanship race.
By: Jacob Aggrey
