Government says firms seeking to undertake the Accra-Kumasi Expressway project must demonstrate strong financial and technical capacity, as it moves to ensure quality, value for money and timely delivery of the strategic road project. Mr. Governs Kwame Agbodza, Minister for Roads and Highways, said the procurement process would be rigorous, transparent and competitive, with emphasis on firms having proven experience in delivering projects of similar scale and complexity. He said the process would be conducted through international competitive pre-qualification to attract technically competent and financially sound firms capable of meeting the project’s demanding standards. “Ghana must obtain quality, value for money and timely delivery. These principles are non-negotiable,” he said. Mr. Agbodza was speaking at a ceremony to hand over the right of way at Kwaso in the Ejisu Municipality for preparatory works on the Accra-Kumasi Expressway. He said the project required a procurement process that would protect the national interest and ensure that the selected firms had the requisite technical expertise, financial strength and experience to deliver and sustain an infrastructure project of such magnitude. The Minister said Government had established the Accra-Kumasi Expressway Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to drive the development, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the project. He said the SPV provided the project with a clear institutional home and defined accountability framework for its professional and long-term management. Mr. Agbodza said the expressway was a strategic national corridor designed to improve mobility between Accra and Kumasi, Ghana’s two largest urban and economic centres, while reducing travel time and logistics costs. He said the project would also improve road safety and facilitate the movement of people, goods and services across the country. The Minister said the Accra-Kumasi corridor had come under increasing pressure from population growth, freight and commercial activities, making it necessary to pursue a long-term network solution rather than relying solely on patching and incremental widening of the existing N6. He said the proposed expressway would provide controlled-access, high-speed intercity movement and help separate through traffic from local traffic, while creating greater redundancy within the national road network. Mr. Agbodza said the project formed part of President John Dramani Mahama’s infrastructure agenda under the Big Push, which sought to move beyond fragmented interventions and invest deliberately in infrastructure capable of unlocking economic activities. He said the corridor would connect production centres to markets, support the 24-hour economy, create jobs and improve national productivity. He said Government also expected the project to strengthen local participation by creating opportunities for Ghanaian engineers, contractors, consultants, suppliers, artisans and young professionals. “We want skills transfer, technology transfer and meaningful participation by local businesses while maintaining the technical, financial and safety standards demanded by a project of this magnitude,” he said. Mr Agbodza said the expressway would be integrated into the wider national road network, including the emerging Kumasi Outer Ring Road, to enhance connectivity and maximise its economic benefits. He commended President Mahama for his infrastructure vision, the Minister for Finance for efforts to secure funding, and the Ghana Armed Forces for supporting preparatory works. He also acknowledged the contributions of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, sector agencies, and communities, whose cooperation would be essential to the project’s implementation.