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The newly inaugurated governing board of the Road Maintenance Trust Fund has been charged to ensure fair and transparent distribution of resources across all constituencies in the country.
Roads and Highways Minister, Governs Kwame Agbodza, said the restructured fund marks a major shift from past practices where road maintenance spending was left to ministerial discretion.
“In the past, it could happen that some parts of the country may never see any significant expenditure… simply because it was so discretionary,” he recalled.
Addressing the board at the ministry, Agbodza explained that the new law, Act 1147, empowers Parliament to determine how portions of the fund are utilised, ensuring that no constituency is left behind.
He stressed that the change was driven by the public’s demand for better road conditions and greater transparency.
“Every constituency in Ghana will see an amount of money allocated for minimum road maintenance activity,” he assured.
He noted that the fund has been re-enacted to strengthen accountability and protect its resources from legal encumbrances that previously drained its accounts.
“Contractors we owe go to court, get judgment, and sometimes basically take all the monies that belong to everybody,” he said, adding that the new structure provides safeguards to prevent such occurrences and preserves funds for equitable maintenance work.
Mr Agbodza said the task ahead of the pioneer board is challenging, given the fund’s distressed state and the significant backlog of payments owed to contractors.
Nonetheless, he urged the board to provide leadership and ensure that all activities under the fund follow proper certification and legal processes.
“We want you to focus on ensuring that works being done by the agencies are carried out according to the law and specifications, and you certify and pay them accordingly,” he instructed.
The minister expressed confidence in the expertise and diversity of the board members, drawn from engineering bodies, surveying institutions, traditional authorities, Parliament, and civil society.
He noted that their collective experience positions them to guide the fund effectively.
“The caliber of people on this board are capable of providing leadership… Ghana looks forward with great hopes that under your tenure we are going to see improvement,” he said.
