It’s a common sight worldwide – presidential candidates promising the moon and stars during campaigns. And once elected, citizens eagerly await the fulfillment of these pledges, be it free education, job creation, improved healthcare, or infrastructure development. Ghana is no exception. The promises made by President Nana Akufo-Addo in 2016 were neatly outlined in the manifesto of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), drawing the hopes and aspirations of Ghanaians. While some of the projects have been completed others are still under construction and some others seem abandoned. So, in this video, we will look at 10 infrastructural projects that the administration of Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to deliver before his tenure comes to an end in 2024.

Agenda 111 Regional and District Hospitals.
The Agenda 111 project was established by the government to close the gaping lack of access to healthcare facilities, especially in remote areas of the country. The project involves the construction or upgrading of 101 district hospitals, construction of six regional hospitals in the newly created regions, two specialized hospitals in the middle and northern belts, as well as a regional hospital in the Western Region and renovation of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital. With over $100 million start-up fund secured, as well as other subsidiary funds, the project is not near completion since it was launched in August 2021. However, during a recent visit by the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, to monitor the progress of the work on Agenda 111, he stated that the majority of the hospitals would hopefully be completed and commissioned by the end of the year.

Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam
On November 29th, 2019, the President of the Republic, Nana Akufo-Addo cut sod for the construction activities of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam to begin, and on February 26th, 2020, Parliament approved the project. The dam, according to the President, would be the single, greatest investment ever undertaken by any government in the northern part of the country. Located on the White Volta River in Ghana, the Dam would have a maximum reservoir area of 350 km in addition to a powerhouse consisting of two turbines with a capacity of 60MW each. Upon completion, the Dam will serve as a source of electricity and also help to improve irrigation farming in local communities in the farming area. It would also be a vital catalyst in solving the perennial flooding in parts of the region.

The $993 million project is expected to be completed in four years, but unfortunately, there seems to be some financial problem because work has not even started and there has been no update on the project. The government should however know that the citizens of Ghana are waiting to see this massive investment commissioned before this government’s tenure comes to an end.

Tamale Interchange
The Tamale Interchange was commissioned by the President in 2022. It’s the first of its kind to be constructed in the northern part of the country which would help to address the issues of congestion in urban centers, and to help improve travel times on major arterial roads. The Tamale Interchange is a pre-stressed concrete continuous bridge with very few joints to enhance driving comfort, and it involves the construction of some 1.1 kilometers of roads on the bridge, the provision of the drainage system, the erection of streetlights and the construction of a 10 km of asphalt overlay around the Interchange. Its construction began on April 10, 2019, as part of the first phase of the two-billion-dollar Master Project Support Agreement between the government of Ghana and the Sinohydro Corporation of China to construct several infrastructure projects including roads, bridges, housing facilities, and extension of electricity to rural communities across the country. Kudos to the President as this is one project that has been completed ahead of schedule and of course before the end of his tenure.

Takoradi Interchange
Like the Tamale Interchange, the Takoradi Interchange is another phase of the construction agreement between Ghana and the Sinohydro Corporation of China. However, the project which was expected to be completed in July was suspended in January 2023. It was alleged that the halting of the project was part of the conditionalities of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The suspension of the project has been a source of worry for the citizens who live within the area. Recently, however, during a community engagement event, a Member of the Parliament for Takoradi Constituency stated that work is set to resume by the end of September. Right now, the citizens in that area are watching and waiting to see the resumption and completion of the project. Hopefully, the project will be completed before the end of President Akufo’s administration.

Kumasi Central Market redevelopment
The Kumasi Central Market redevelopment project is the phase 2 of the Kumasi Central Business District Redevelopment project. The first phase which was the redevelopment of the Kejetia market and lorry station has fully been completed with over 8,000 stores and other facilities. However, the 248 million euro Kumasi Central Market redevelopment project which commenced in 2021 and is expected to be completed in four years has been stalled since January 2023. The site is getting weedy and reptiles are taking over the project situated at the heart of the region. Traders who have been looking forward to using the market have expressed their disappointment that despite promises by the government to ensure that work resumes after several petitions, work is yet to resume. Currently, no one knows when work on the project will start not to talk of when it will be completed.

One District One Factory
In its 2016 manifesto, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) promised to establish a factory in each of the 216 districts in Ghana. This was the basis of the one district, one factory programme. The program aims to transform Ghana’s economy from one that is dependent on the export of raw materials and the import of finished goods to one that is focused on manufacturing, value addition, and the export of processed goods. The program will also ensure the creation of employment for the youth. Currently, there are 106 factories operational under the One District, One Factory (1D1F) program, with 148 under construction, while 24 projects are at a mobilization stage. In addition, as part of the One District, One Factory program, international companies like Toyota and Suzuki have set up assembly plants in the country. The completed factories have created at least 150,000 direct and indirect jobs for the unemployed youth. We can say that this is a big win for the Nana-Akufo administration.

New La General Hospital
The old hospital was demolished in July 2020 after an assessment reported severe structural problems and the next month the President cut the sod for the construction of the New La General Hospital. However, it took 19 months for work to start on the project. The project which is expected to be completed in 30 months is estimated to cost about 30 million euros. The administration said that the delay was due to the Covid pandemic. The hospital, when completed, will provide much more health services to the people of La and surrounding communities. As of now, not much work has been done on the site and the citizens in that area are concerned because the demolition of the former building has affected the health services in the area. The administration has however insisted that the people should be patient and that work would commence on the site very soon.

National Cathedral
On the day President Akufo-Addo won the election in 2016, he pledged to build a cathedral to honor God for his victory. According to him the interdenominational national cathedral will help unify the Christian community and thereby help promote national unity and social cohesion. The entire project is expected to cost $250 million and the government has provided land and a seed fund of 10% of the estimated cost. Located about 700 meters from Ghana’s Parliament building, the site of the cathedral looks like an abandoned illegal mining site because construction has been halted since June 2023 due to lack of funds. The Cathedral is expected to be completed by 2024 but as it is now, it doesn’t seem likely that it would be completed by then.

Kumasi International Airport
The construction of the Kumasi International Airport is phase two of the airport’s redevelopment plans. The conversion of the local airport into an international airport became necessary due to the growing demands of aviation services in the country. The project involves the extension of the runway from 1981 meters to 2300 meters to accommodate Boeing 737-800 series aircraft, construction of a new terminal, construction of additional aprons, and other ancillary works. In 2018, President Akufo-Addo cut sod for work to begin on the construction of the second phase of the Kumasi Airport project, and the project was expected to be completed within 24 months. However, in 2023, construction activities stopped, and the project has been left abandoned, although reports suggest it is 70 per cent complete. Contractors have also left the site, leaving the project site to be covered in weeds. The citizens of Ghana have demanded that the government be accountable for the project. It’s not exactly clear when work will resume on the project and when it will be completed.

Dualization of Teshie Beach Road and Nungua Interchange
In 2022, Vice President Dr. Bawumia cut the sod for this US$100 million project which spans from Independence Square in Accra passing through Osu, La, Teshie, Nungua, Tema Community Three, and Sakumono in the Tema enclave. This 26.6km dual road has one interchange at the Nungua section. This project falls under the Accra-Tema Beach Road Improvement Project and is being funded under the Synohydro Facility. It is estimated to be completed within 24 months, and it is being constructed by the Messrs Gansu International Corporation for Economic and Technical Cooperation and Messrs China Major Bridge Engineering Company Limited.

There you have it, 10 projects that Ghanaians are looking forward to seeing completed before the tenure of President Nana Akufo ends. Do you think he will be able to complete them? Let us know in the comments down below and don’t forget to subscribe, like and share this video.