Agbodza Vetting: 5 Highlights From The Vetting Of Mahama’s Roads Minister Pick
Parliament's appointments committee has vetted the Kwame Agbodza, the Minister-Designate for Roads and Highways. YEN.com.gh outlines five key takeaways from the vetting of a critical portfolio.
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Kwame Agbodza, the Minister-Designate for Roads and Highways, spent over four hours before the appointments committee on January 20, during which time his views on a critical sector were scrutinised.
The session was not without some drama. A reported dispute between the majority and minority sides of the committee led to the sitting being suspended temporarily.

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When the sitting resumed, Agbodza was quizzed on issues ranging from debt to the materials used for road construction.
Recent appointee Agbodza is an architect with extensive experience in architectural design and project management.
Since 2013, he has been the Member of Parliament for Adaklu, rising through parliamentary ranks as Deputy Ranking Member, Ranking Member, Minority Chief Whip, and now Majority Chief Whip of the Ninth Parliament.
5 highlights from Minister-designate Agbodza's vetting
Concern with debts in the road sector
Agbodza expressed concerns about the growing debt within the sector. He said the government was currently weighed on by at least GH¢113 billion in outstanding commitments.
He also disclosed that as of January 20, 2025, unpaid certificates from the Government of Ghana amounted to GH¢20 billion, with an additional GH¢15 billion in unpaid road funds.
“At the transition committee, it turns out that as of today [January 20], I have not been to the ministry yet, but what they presented to the committee, the NPP government is leaving a minimum of GH¢100 billion commitment."
Return of road tolls
Agbodza criticised the previous government’s decision to abolish road tolls, describing the move as illegal.
Like Finance Minister-designate Cassiel Ato Forson, he also reiterated the plan to reinstate the tolls with better technology, eliminating the need for physical barriers on the roads.

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“Accrual to the road fund was only GH¢250 million and we worked to increase it to gh¢1.5 billion, today, it is over GH¢2 billion, so we cautioned the government against cancelling the road tolls and we were surprised that they cancelled it. It was an act of illegality to cancel it.”
Comments on the controversial e-gate at KIA
The nominee insisted that the controversial E-Gate system at Kotoka International Airport (KIA) lacks a formal contract.
The E-Gate system, introduced as part of efforts to modernise operations at Ghana’s premier international airport, was reportedly set to cost $240 million, though the Ghana Immigration Service challenged this.
Agbodza said the project was part of ongoing work by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and was initially intended to be implemented at no cost to the government.
“If the government had listened to what I was saying, it wouldn’t have resulted in some of the embarrassment we saw at the airport when the former Vice President was trying to commission it. There is not even any contract for the E-Gate. There is no contract for the $1.7 million they were talking about.
Poor road maintenance
Agbodza criticised the Akufo-Addo administration for failing to prioritise road maintenance over the past eight years.
The Minster-designate also gave assurances that maintaining the country’s current roads would be a higher priority than constructing new ones.
The Adaklu MP pointed to a stark contrast in the numbers, noting that in 2016, the country had managed to maintain 9,000 kilometres of roads.
However, by 2023, only 3,000 kilometres of roads had been preserved, illustrating a significant decline in the country’s commitment to road upkeep.
“The principle is that you should spend more on the maintenance of your existing roads than building new roads. Per the records we have in terms of road maintenance, things have gone bad in the last eight years."
Removing cap on road fund
Agbodza reiterated his call for decapping statutory funds, particularly the Road Fund, to improve the efficiency of project financing and reduce the government’s debt to contractors.
He noted that the Ministry of Finance retains a significant portion of the funds collected for the Road Fund, which are later reallocated as part of the government budget.
“I’ve been a consistent advocate for the decapping of statutory funds, especially the Road Fund. When you analyze the money collected into the Road Fund versus the amount released, it’s clear that the Finance Ministry takes a substantial portion, only to return it as GoG [Government of Ghana] funds. This approach limits the fund’s effectiveness... So I'll continue to advocate for decapping of road fund.”
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Source: YEN.com.gh