Dormaahene Vows to Walk over 400km to Accra if Mahama Completes Accra-Kumasi Expressway | Discuss Ghana

Osagyefuo Oseadeeyo Dr. Agyemang Badu II, the Dormaahene and President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, has laid down an astonishing personal challenge to the executive. He has pledged to undertake a monumental, historic journey entirely on foot from Dormaa Ahenkro to Accra to personally thank President John Dramani Mahama if the proposed Accra-Kumasi Expressway is fully completed before the end of his tenure.

The highly respected traditional ruler dropped the bombshell declaration on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, while leading a high-profile delegation from the Bono Regional House of Chiefs to the Jubilee House. The visit, meant to review regional progress under the government’s flagship "Big Push" Infrastructure Initiative, quickly transformed into an intense celebration of infrastructure, trade, and national connectivity.

A Transformational Pathway for the Bono Region

The Dormaahene’s high-stakes royal wager underscores the profound developmental anxiety surrounding Ghana's main transit arteries:

The 450-Kilometer Challenge: To fulfill his vow, the Dormaahene would have to trek a massive distance spanning over 450 kilometers from his palace in the Bono Region, through the Ashanti Region, and down to the national capital. He insisted that the sheer economic relief the expressway would bring to his people easily justifies the physical sacrifice.

Shrinking the Transit Grid: During the briefing, President Mahama revealed that the newly designed expressway will structurally bypass current bottlenecks, drastically reducing the active travel distance between Accra and Kumasi from 270 kilometers down to just 198 kilometers.

The Two-Hour Target: The President assured the chiefs that once the modern corridor is opened, transit times will plummet. "Comfortably, if you are going to Dormaa Ahenkro or Sunyani, that Kumasi stretch should not take you more than two hours," Mahama stated, validating the Dormaahene's excitement.

Engineering Progress: The Military Steps In

To prove that the project isn't just empty political rhetoric, the presidency provided concrete structural updates on the construction progress:

The 70km Breakthrough: President Mahama announced that the 48th Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces has been deployed to the frontline and has successfully cleared over 70 kilometers of the right-of-way, up from the 51km mark reported by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson in May.

Compensation and Demolitions: With the military executing the clearing with remarkable speed, the government confirmed that site valuations are complete, and active compensation payments to affected farmers and property owners along the route are officially being disbursed this month.

Phase Two Expectations: Beyond the central expressway, the state confirmed that critical local routes—including the strategic Akyeremasu-Gambia road—have been formally captured under Phase Two of the Big Push initiative to be funded under the upcoming 2027 national budget.

ACCRA-KUMASI EXPRESSWAY METRIC SHIFT:

┌────────────────────────────────────────┐      ┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│          THE LEGACY TRANSIT ROUTE      │      │         THE PROPOSED 2026 EXPRESSWAY   │
├────────────────────────────────────────┤      ├────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Distance Grid: ~270 Kilometers Total │  ──  │ • Distance Grid: ~198 Kilometers Total │
│ • Current Progress: Heavy congestion,  │  ──  │ • Current Progress: Over 70km cleared  │
│   unpredictable bottleneck delays      │      │   by the 48th Engineers Regiment       │
│ • Operational Status: Deteriorating    │      │ • Target Impact: Under 2 hours travel  │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘      └────────────────────────────────────────┘