President John Mahama has announced the implementation of a strict weight restriction regime aimed at enforcing discipline on the road and ensuring roads last for their expected lifespan.

At the groundbreaking ceremony for the redevelopment of the Cape Coast–Takoradi National route in Takoradi as part of the big push agenda, the President said consultation will soon commence with transport owners on the introduction in the next budget reading by the finance minister.

The redevelopment of the Cape Coast-Takoradi Road is part of the National Route 1N1 and the Trans-West African Highway linking Accra to Takoradi.

The project spans roughly 73.6 kilometres from Cape Coast to Takoradi, divided into three adjoining lots for efficient execution. It will deliver three interchanges, four bridges, and two pedestrian facilities.

President Mahama warned about the damage caused by heavy trucks using the roads and assured that a strict weight restriction system would be implemented.

The corridor handles over 90% of freight and passenger movement to the Western Region and provides access to major tourism destinations such as Cape Coast and Elmina. The existing two-lane carriageway is heavily congested and prone to accidents, leading to long travel times and high transport costs.

The government regards the dualisation as a strategic national initiative within the Big Push infrastructure programme and a 24-hour economy policy aimed at enhancing mobility, safety, and logistics efficiency while stimulating regional economic activity.

Roads Minister Kwame Governs Agbodza said the government is committed to local content in road construction, while urging contractors to stay on-site and produce quality roads.

“Your Excellency, the contractors that have been selected to do this project have also been taken through good orientation. Many of them are Ghanaian contractors and we are going to build the best roads we have ever witnessed in our country and we say to every contractor who is participating, no one is compelling you to be part of the Big Push. However, if you decide to be part of President Mahama’s Big Push, you must be the best,” he said.

President John Mahama said, “There are trucks in this country that load 120 tonnes when the maximum load is supposed to be 50 tonnes. There is no road you can construct that will stand 120 tonnes per truck, and so I’ve told the Roads Minister, and it’s going to be announced firmly in the budget. We’ll consult the drivers’ union, the transporters, and we must implement weight restrictions so that the roads that we build can last”.

Breaking the grounds, the President assured there will be no delay in the 24-month work duration period, and also assured residents that the Western Regional Hospital will be completed within the next 18 months.

The project which is25% complete, was halted due to the debt restructuring program after being initiated by the previous government.

The President views this as a responsibility passed on to him and has pledged to complete it, along with other stalled projects.

President Mahama, who began his one-day visit to the Western Region in the Ahanta West municipality, where he inspected the stalled 25 per cent complete regional hospital project at Apemenyim.

He stated that the goal of such projects is to distribute health facilities more evenly across the country, thereby reducing pressure on existing ones. He assured the public that the 250-bed facility will be completed within the next 18 months. This is informed by a thorough engagement with the official creditor committee, which led the Finance Ministry to begin processing the contractor’s certificates.

The next stop was at the regional capital, where he inspected the Effiankwanta Regional Hospital expansion project, which aims to convert it into a teaching hospital. This is 45 per cent complete.

President Mahama indicated he sees this as a baton passed to him from the previous administration and is committed to finishing it and other stalled projects.

He vowed to end the cycle where the new government intentionally abandoned projects started by their predecessors.

“The intention for these projects is to spread out our health facilities so that you don’t have too much pressure on only one facility. Effiankwanta has been the main hospital in the whole of the Western Region, and so it was necessary to expand it and then also build a second regional hospital at Apemenim.

“As I said during the campaign period last year, I said that one of the practices that has drawn Ghana back is that when a new government comes, it does not continue the work the previous government was doing. But governance is like a relay race. One government passes the baton to the next.

So, this is a baton that the previous government passed on to us. So, I can assure you that the money that has gone into this building is the money of the Ghanaian taxpayer. And so we’re not going to let it go to waste. We’re going to continue and finish this project,” the President said.

The Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, was optimistic that its completion would improve quality health care delivery in the region.

“His Excellency made a promise during the campaign. And so today we have him here. In fulfillment of that promise, he’s come to see these projects that were started by the previous administration. As we all know, this one and others that we’re about to see have stopped. But as part of his commitment, he’s come to see how this project can progress so that at the end of the day, it’s completed for the benefit of the people.

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