Agbodza Blames Past Construction Failures for Washed-Away Roads | Discuss Ghana

The relentless, high-velocity rainstorms of 2026 have forced an absolute, uncompromised structural reset within the nation’s infrastructure management loop. Laying down a hardline engineering mandate to permanently eliminate substandard craftsmanship, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwame Governs Agbodza, has aggressively ordered local contractors to build premium, properly sized drainage systems that can completely withstand the country's changing climate patterns.

The Minister delivered the sharp directive on Wednesday morning, July 8, 2026, during an emergency, high-vibe inspection tour of the Atimpoku–Asikuma Junction Road rehabilitation project (Lot 1). Confronting the technical team from Ussuya Ghana Ltd.—the engineering firm managing the critical Eastern Corridor link—Hon. Agbodza completely bypassed standard diplomatic pleasantries, using the visible, post-flood devastation across the network to point out the systemic engineering flaws that have historically plagued Ghanaian road construction.

The Anatomy of a Roads Ultimatum

Standing alongside structural engineers and regional directors at the project site, Agbodza made it clear that the Ministry will no longer tolerate narrow, low-capacity gutters that choke up under minimal atmospheric pressure:

The Exposure of Past Mistakes: The Minister pointedly noted that the recent, catastrophic downpours have acted as a natural audit of the state's historical road infrastructure. "The rains this year have exposed the shortcomings of how we handled road construction in the past," Agbodza stated, referencing how poorly engineered layouts have allowed water to pond, seep beneath asphalt surfaces, and trigger rapid sub-base structural failures.

The Sizing Mandate: Turning his attention directly to the leadership of Ussuya Ghana Ltd., the Minister demanded an uncompromised adherence to international structural baselines. He charged the contractor to ensure that every single side drain, culvert, and catchment basin along the Atimpoku-Asikuma corridor is heavily expanded and properly sized to standard.

Protecting the Public Purse: The Minister insisted that roads must be engineered defensively to ensure that “normal rainfall does not wash away the road,” warning that the state will aggressively blacklist any contractor whose completed project washes out within a single weather cycle.