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Prez Mahama cuts sod for Big Push Agenda in Greater Accra
The President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has cut sod for the commencement of the Government’s Big Push Agenda for massive infrastructural development, starting with the construction of major road projects in the Greater Accra Region.
The ceremony took place on Tuesday September 15 at Afienya to mark the beginning of the Dawhenya Afienya Dodowa road project.
The President explained that the Big Push was a renewed commitment by his government to fix Ghana’s roads and open up the country for accelerated growth.
He recalled that the concept was first introduced in the National Democratic Congress manifesto in 2020 with plans to invest two billion dollars annually in infrastructure. However, the initiative was not implemented because the party lost the 2020 elections.
He noted that the plan was revived in 2024 when Ghanaians voted the NDC back into power. Since January 7 his government had been designing road projects across all sixteen regions, stressing that every region would benefit from the programme.
The President outlined three key criteria for the selection of projects under the Big Push. These include roads that connect regional capitals, roads that link district capitals, and roads located in food producing and industrial areas.
He announced that the first set of projects to commence included the Dawhenya Afienya Dodowa Road, the Tema Aflao dualization first phase, the Ashaiman Asikuma dualization, the Oyibi Apolonia Afienya Road, the Dodowa Somanya and Somanya Town Roads, and the Shai Hills Dodowa Road.
He further disclosed that stalled projects such as the Dome Kwabenya to Ketase Road, the Ofankor Nsawam Road, the Adenta Dodowa dualization, and the Beach Road from Black Star Square to Tema had been repackaged into the Big Push initiative.
The President emphasised that contractors for the projects were carefully selected based on their capacity, equipment, and ability to deliver on both quality and speed.
He explained that the majority of the contractors were Ghanaian in order to build local capacity.
He also made it clear that the programme was not meant for wheelbarrow contractors, although some foreign firms were included because they had ongoing contracts before the NDC returned to office.
He commended Oswal Investment Limited, one of the lead contractors, describing it as a reputable local firm committed to delivering speed and quality.
He assured Ghanaians that funding would not be a challenge and revealed that 13.9 billion Ghana cedis had been allocated for the Big Push in 2025, with an additional 30 billion set aside for 2026.
The President disclosed that the scope of the Big Push would expand in 2026 to include health, education, agriculture, agribusiness, and sports infrastructure.
He added that his government planned to introduce year round irrigation systems to boost food production, explaining that Ghana could no longer depend on six months of farming.
He also announced that 166 constituencies with the worst roads would each receive 10 kilometers of roads annually over four years, totaling 40 kilometers per constituency.
To ensure sustainability, he revealed that the Ghana Road Fund would dedicate 5 billion Ghana cedis annually to road maintenance, covering pothole patching, vegetation control, and desilting. He stressed that roads were vital for Ghana’s economic transformation, citing the example of how America’s development was boosted by early road and rail networks.
President Mahama concluded by assuring Ghanaians that his government was determined to deliver good roads across the country.
He expressed confidence that by 2027 citizens would see significant improvements in the quality and connectivity of roads nationwide.
The Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodz explained that the Big Push was not a campaign promise but a bold intervention by government to address Ghana’s road challenges.
The Minister disclosed that the Ministry of Roads and Highways owed contractors about 40 billion Ghana cedis, yet it was difficult to see what the money had been used for.
He noted that the new programme would be different and assured Ghanaians that results would be visible for all to witness.
He praised the staff of the ministry and its agencies for the work done in the past six months in preparing the projects.
He pledged that the projects under the Big Push would be completed within 24 months and expressed confidence that the contractor on the Afienya stretch could finish even earlier.
The Minister stressed that the programme would demonstrate the capacity of local contractors.
He stated that the Big Push would prove that Ghanaian contractors were as capable as their counterparts elsewhere while creating jobs and delivering lasting infrastructure.
He explained that all contractors and consultants working under the programme would be required to take insurance cover which would be cashed if they failed to deliver.
He urged that contractors must focus on the work and not run to government with complaints.
The Minister assured residents that all projects awarded under the initiative were starting simultaneously.
He cited ongoing works on stretches from Central University to the motorway, Kasoa, and from Ashaiman roundabout to Atimpoku, pledging their completion within 24 months.
He encouraged contractors to employ young graduates in engineering and surveying and invest in the training of the next generation of Ghanaian professionals.
THE Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP), Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has called on traditional authorities, religious leaders and community influencers to stop shielding perpetrators of gender-based violence and allow the law to work.
She said too many cases were being buried at the community level, with abusers protected while victims were pressured into silence. This, she stressed, must end.
Dr Lartey made the call on Tuesday at the national launch of the 2025, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, held at the Kaneshie Main Station in Accra.
This year’s campaign, observed globally from November 25 to December 10, is on the theme: ‘Unite! End Digital Violence Against Women and Girls.’
It highlights rising incidents of cyberbullying, online stalking, image-based exploitation and other forms of technology-facilitated abuse that disproportionately affect women and girls.
The minister urged the media to use their platforms to condemn abuse and intensify education, noting that no person should “die in silence’’ in a society that values dignity, equality and the principles of Sustainable Development Goal 5.
She also encouraged women, girls, men and boys to report any form of abuse, assuring the public that support services were available to all, regardless of age or social status.
Dr Lartey described gender-based violence as one of the most pervasive human rights violations in Ghana. She referenced a 2016 Domestic Violence Survey showing that 27.7 per cent of Ghanaian women have experienced domestic violence, as well as a 2014 Demographic and Health Survey which revealed that 32 per cent of girls aged 15–24 believe wife beating was justified—an indication of harmful societal norms.
Calling the situation “unfortunate and sad,” she stressed that the nation must dismantle cultural beliefs that excuse or normalise violence.
Outlining government actions, Dr Lartey announced that Cabinet has approved the revised National Domestic Violence Policy, while the updated Domestic Abuse Bill and its Legislative Instrument were being finalised by the Attorney-General’s Department.
She also disclosed plans to operationalise a national shelter in Accra and begin constructing the 16 regional shelters promised to strengthen protection systems for survivors.
Additionally, the ministry has trained 200 market leaders as paralegals and 100 professionals, including psychologists, medical workers and legal experts, to support victims with referrals and counselling.
UNFPA Country Representative, Dr David Wilfred Ochan, reaffirmed the agency’s support for Ghana’s efforts. He unveiled a nationwide initiative titled “16 Stations, 16 Routes, 16 Destinations,” which will use the country’s public transport system to raise awareness on gender-based violence.
In partnership with the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), the initiative will promote stickers, public announcements, training and codes of conduct to ensure that transport stations become safe spaces where commuters, traders, porters and young people can access information and hotline services to report or prevent abuse.
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CHILD Rights International (CRI) is urging the government to adopt a firm and comprehensive national policy to safeguard the religious rights of students in secondary schools, insisting that no child should be denied education or the freedom to express their faith.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Accra, the organisation said the recent controversy involving Wesley Girls’ Senior High School highlights deep-seated gaps in how children’s rights were upheld within the country’s long-standing educational structures.
According to CRI, the incident underscores the need for Ghana to reassess the relationship between school traditions and the constitutional rights of students.
The group emphasised that the right to education and the right to religious expression were fundamental, and must be reflected consistently in rules and practices across all schools.
Additionally, CRI noted that many well-known mission institutions such as Holy Child School and St. Louis Senior High School operate on religious foundations that have shaped their administrative cultures for decades.
These differ significantly from state-established schools like Ghana Senior High School in Koforidua, Tamale Senior High School and Achimota Senior High School.
This contrast, CRI argued, raises an important national question and what policy framework has guided these mission schools since their incorporation into the public system?
Although the government has declared all such schools secular, they continue to function as government-assisted institutions, maintaining a hybrid structure that leaves them neither fully autonomous nor entirely under the Ghana Education Service (GES).
This unclear arrangement has led to inconsistent rules on discipline, conduct and religious expression from one school to another.
CRI warned that the absence of a unified and enforceable national policy leaves significant gaps in the protection of children’s rights.
While rights may be universal, the group emphasised that their protection depends on strong and clearly defined state regulations.
The organisation further stated that the State has yet to assume full regulatory authority over the schools it supports financially. As a result, key administrative and disciplinary decisions often remain at the discretion of individual school authorities, creating uneven standards nationwide.
For the rights of children, particularly their right to practise their religion to be fully realised, CRI believes the government must move toward full regulatory ownership of all schools it funds or classifies as public.
Without this, tensions between deeply rooted school traditions and constitutional freedoms are likely to persist.
The statement stressed that once a school admits a student, it takes responsibility not only for their academic development but also for respecting their identity, including their religious background. Therefore, no child, CRI insists, should be prevented from practicing their faith within the school environment.
Moreover, the organisation called for the establishment of clear national standards that guide schools on accommodating religious expression without compromising discipline or institutional order.
It also urged the government to strengthen safeguarding systems with firm oversight and routine monitoring to ensure that children’s rights are protected based on national law, not historical customs or administrative discretion.
CRI admonished the government to clarify the official status of government-assisted mission schools to ensure that the rights of all students are upheld consistently across the country.
By Spectator Reporter
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