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Ghana’s road maintenance financing gap has widened significantly, with available funding meeting only 37% of the country’s estimated maintenance requirements in 2024, down from 45% recorded between 2018 and 2021, according to the World Bank.
In its latest Ghana Economic Update: Reset for Growth-Sustaining Macroeconomic Recovery and Unlocking Transport for Transformation, the World Bank warned that the persistent funding shortfall is accelerating the deterioration of the country’s road network while weakening the economic returns from investments in road infrastructure.
The report estimates that Ghana’s trunk road network, which has an estimated replacement value of about $10 billion, requires approximately $685 million each year for maintenance. This represents about 0.83% of the country’s GDP.
However, funding available to meet this requirement has consistently fallen short, creating what the World Bank describes as a structural and long-standing challenge for Ghana’s road sector.
The Bank attributed part of the recent decline in maintenance financing to the implementation of the Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Act, which contributed to the proportion of maintenance needs financed falling to 37% in 2024.
The situation has also been worsened by challenges in the flow of resources from the Road Fund. Between 2016 and 2020, only 58% of accrued road user charge revenues were transferred to approved road maintenance budgets, while the remainder was redirected to other areas of the national budget.
Similarly, between 2018 and 2021, Road Fund revenues covered just 45% of actual maintenance requirements, significantly below the government’s target of 65%.
The World Bank further reported that only between 50% and 60% of appropriated Road Fund allocations were released by the government in 2022 and 2023. By the end of 2024, accumulated arrears had reached GH¢5.75 billion.
The Bank cautioned that delaying road maintenance comes at a much higher cost, pointing out that rehabilitating roads after they have deteriorated into poor condition can cost between five and seven times more than carrying out preventive maintenance.
The effects of the funding constraints are increasingly visible across Ghana’s road network. By the end of 2025, the country’s approximately 94,000-kilometre road network was estimated to have only 47% of roads in good condition. Another 32% were classified as being in fair condition, while 21% were in poor condition.
The condition of trunk roads was particularly concerning, with only 35% rated as good. The earlier assessment also showed that 64% of urban roads and 65% of feeder roads were in either fair or poor condition.
These figures fall well short of the government’s 2021–2025 target of having 60% of the country’s roads in good condition.
Beyond the physical deterioration of roads, the World Bank said inadequate maintenance has broader economic and social consequences. Poor road conditions disproportionately affect poorer regions, limit access to markets and can increase farm-gate prices, especially during the rainy season.
Feeder roads are especially critical to agricultural communities because they provide links between production areas and markets. However, routine maintenance on these roads has achieved an average performance of only 45%, against a target of 65%.
The financing challenge is also threatening the economic benefits expected from road investments. The World Bank cited Ghana’s Second Transport Rehabilitation Project as an example, noting that its economic rate of return declined from 38% at appraisal to 16% at completion, with inadequate maintenance identified as a major contributor to the decline.
The World Bank’s findings highlight the urgent need for Ghana to strengthen and protect road maintenance financing if the country is to preserve its existing infrastructure, improve connectivity and ensure that investments in the road sector deliver their intended economic returns.