Govt Disburses GH¢1bn as Road Trust Fund Launches
By Esther Korantemaa Offei
The Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Francis Ahlidza, has announced that government has released more than GH¢1 billion to contractors following the operationalization of the newly established Road Maintenance Trust Fund.
Mr. Ahlidza made the disclosure during a working visit by the Vice President, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, where officials provided updates on ongoing reforms aimed at improving road maintenance financing in the country.
According to him, Cabinet has approved the transition from the Ghana Road Fund to the Road Maintenance Trust Fund as part of broader efforts to strengthen funding and ensure fairness in the allocation of resources.
“The ministry has, through the support of Cabinet, changed the Ghana Road Fund into the Road Maintenance Trust Fund,” Mr. Ahlidza explained.
He noted that the restructuring was necessary to address concerns about resource distribution and to ensure that road maintenance projects across the country receive adequate and equitable funding.
“The aim is to ensure there is equitable distribution of resources for maintenance across the country and also to give the fund the power to raise revenue from other sources,” he said.
Mr. Ahlidza revealed that the fund officially became operational at the end of last month and has already begun supporting contractors working on road projects nationwide.
“And so this fund is now in place. It became operational as of the end of last month,” he stated.
He further disclosed that after the ministry conducted extensive validation processes to verify outstanding claims and project details, more than one billion Ghana cedis was released to contractors.
“We have disbursed over a billion Ghana cedis to contractors after going through the necessary validation processes,” Mr. Ahlidza added.
The new funding arrangement is expected to strengthen the sustainability of road maintenance financing in Ghana while ensuring that contractors are paid on time for work completed.
Officials believe the reform will also improve efficiency in maintaining the country’s road network and support the long-term development of Ghana’s transport infrastructure.
