Bediako Challenges Asenso-Boakye to Prove Suame Project Funding Claims

Member of Parliament (MP) for Offinso South Vincent Asare Bediako has challenged former Roads and Highways Minister Francis Asenso-Boakye and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to provide documentary evidence of funds they claim to have secured for the Suame Interchange Project amid ongoing controversy over the facility’s design and financing.

Speaking on Kumasi based Angel FM on Friday, February 13, 2026, Mr Bediako emphasized that transparency is essential in addressing public concerns about the financing and progress of the infrastructure project. He accused Asenso-Boakye of engaging in propaganda and cautioned against attempts to undermine the government’s image.

The Offinso South legislator expressed confidence that the Suame Interchange Project would be completed under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration led by President John Dramani Mahama. He argued that when the NPP assumed office following the 2017 elections, several projects initiated under the previous NDC administration were not continued, but maintained that the NDC would not adopt the same approach.

Mr Bediako’s comments enter an escalating political dispute over the Suame Interchange, which has become a flashpoint between the governing NDC and the opposition NPP. The controversy centers on allegations that the current government plans to scale down the project from a four tier to a two tier design, citing funding constraints.

Roads and Highways Minister Kwame Governs Agbodza has blamed his predecessor for failing to complete the project by December 2024, as promised by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Speaking to journalists on Monday, February 9, 2026, Mr Agbodza stated that had the previous administration fulfilled this commitment, the current debate surrounding the status and scope of the project would not have arisen.

The minister emphasized that former President Akufo-Addo publicly declared that the interchange would be completed and handed over by the close of 2024, arguing that delays occurred under the previous administration and should not be attributed to the current government.

Francis Asenso-Boakye, now MP for Bantama and spokesperson for the Ashanti Caucus of the Minority in Parliament, has strongly criticized the government’s decision to reduce the interchange from a four tier to a two tier structure. Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show on Monday, February 10, 2026, Mr Asenso-Boakye argued that the revised design would not adequately resolve traffic challenges in Kumasi.

The former minister explained that the project was initially financed through a loan agreement with a Spanish bank approved by Parliament in July 2022, but funding challenges emerged during a debt restructuring period. He stated that the previous government later secured alternative financing from the African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank), which allowed construction to resume between 2023 and 2024, with approximately 56 percent of the project completed.

According to Mr Asenso-Boakye, the original four tier design resulted from extensive traffic modelling, engineering studies, and long term urban planning aimed at addressing worsening congestion in Ghana’s second largest city. He warned that reducing the interchange to a two tier configuration would shift congestion from one junction to another, turning the project into an expensive but ineffective bottleneck.

The Ashanti Caucus has questioned the government’s funding priorities, noting that Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson indicated that GH₵43 billion has been allocated to road infrastructure in 2026. Mr Asenso-Boakye asked why a portion of that amount could not be used to complete the Suame Interchange as originally planned if funds were available for other road projects and new contracts.

The caucus raised concerns about what it described as a pattern of discontinuity in infrastructure delivery, arguing that ongoing high impact projects should not be sidelined in favor of newly initiated ones. The group urged the government to restore the original four tier design, reprioritize funding to ensure completion as planned, and engage transparently with Parliament and residents of Kumasi.

However, Minister Agbodza maintained that the government remains focused on delivering the project and addressing traffic congestion challenges in Kumasi. He stressed that the administration is determined to see the interchange completed in the interest of residents and road users, while emphasizing that former President Akufo-Addo’s unfulfilled deadline creates the current controversy.

The Suame Interchange project was initiated to address severe traffic congestion at one of Kumasi’s busiest junctions, connecting major routes linking the southern, northern, eastern, and western regions of Ghana. Areas including Suame, Krofrom, Bantama, Abrepo, Anomangye, and Magazine experience daily traffic jams that waste time, increase fuel and transport costs, raise accident risks, and reduce quality of life for residents and businesses.

Mr Asenso-Boakye has stated that engineering designs for all four tiers have already been completed and that foundation works started based on a fully integrated system. He warned that scaling down the project at this stage could lead to delays, higher costs, contractual challenges, and long term technical problems.

Despite the political tensions, the former minister emphasized that governance is a continuous process and infrastructure development should not be driven by partisan considerations. He noted that many of Kumasi’s major road projects were initiated under previous NPP administrations led by former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Akufo-Addo, stating there is nothing wrong with the NDC continuing or initiating road projects in the region.

Mr Asenso-Boakye stressed that Kumasi’s status as a major economic hub and tax contributor justifies sustained investment regardless of voting patterns, adding that the construction of the Suame Interchange or any major road project by the NDC will not negatively affect the NPP’s electoral prospects in the Ashanti Region.

The Suame Interchange controversy highlights broader challenges in Ghana’s infrastructure delivery, including funding uncertainties, policy continuity, and the tension between completing ongoing projects versus initiating new ones. Political analysts note that the dispute reflects both genuine technical concerns about optimal design choices and partisan calculations ahead of future electoral contests.

Vincent Asare Bediako won the Offinso South seat in the December 7, 2024 parliamentary elections, defeating NPP incumbent Dr Ben Abdallah Banda. He is one of 188 NDC Members of Parliament elected to the 9th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana following the party’s decisive victory in the general elections.

The government has not yet publicly clarified its final position on the Suame Interchange design or provided a detailed timeline for completion. The project remains a subject of intense public interest in Kumasi and the wider Ashanti Region, where residents await resolution of the technical and political disputes surrounding the facility.