President John Dramani Mahama has announced that contractors who received double payments for road projects will face punishment.
He revealed that an audit by the Auditor-General uncovered instances where contractors were paid twice for the same work, and assured that only those cleared by the audit will be allowed back on site, while those found culpable will be sanctioned.
According to the president, when his administration took over, they noticed irregularities in road project payments.
He stated that some contractors had allegedly received multiple payments for projects that had already been settled under the Road Fund.
To ensure accountability and prevent further financial losses, the government decided to suspend ongoing road works temporarily and initiate a full audit.
“When we came, with regards to the ongoing roads, we asked the contractors to hold on because we wanted to conduct an audit. We realized that some of the roads were already paid for by the Road Fund, but the same certificates were still being sent to the Finance Ministry for payment, resulting in double payments,” he explained.
According to President Mahama, the Auditor-General has completed the audit and submitted the report. Based on the findings, only contractors who have been cleared will be allowed to return to their sites.
“We will allow all the contractors to go back to site, except those who took double payments, they will be punished,” he stated.
President Mahama made these remarks during his Eastern Regional Thank You Tour on July 20, 2025 while highlighting his administration’s renewed commitment to infrastructure development under a new initiative called The Big Push.
“We are bringing a programme called The Big Push because, according to a World Bank report, Ghana faces an infrastructure deficit of $1.5 billion every year. We need to invest that amount annually in roads, hospitals, and other sectors before Ghana can reach its full development potential,” he said.
He added that revenues from Ghana’s oil, gas, and gold exports will be set aside to fund the initiative, which aims to significantly boost infrastructure across the country.
“With The Big Push, we will construct roads and other vital infrastructure. I know most of the chiefs have been complaining about bad roads during our campaign, and this is our response,” he added.
President Mahama assured that all regions, including the Eastern Region, will receive their fair share of projects under The Big Push.
