Parliament has approved a concessionary contract worth $338.89 million between Ghana and ATEP, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The contract is for the redevelopment and expansion of the Accra-Tema Motorway, which is part of the National Road One (N1).
The project includes the redevelopment of the 19.5km Accra-Tema Motorway, a 5.7km portion of the George Bush Highway, and a portion of the Nsawam road (N6) that links the N1 from the Neoplan interchange to Apenkwa, covering 2.5 km.
The project also includes the operation and maintenance of the road, as well as the installation of a road toll system on certain sections.
The project is part of the international transit corridors in the West African sub-region, which will serve as a link between Accra and the Tema Port, and to the northern part of the country and the landlocked Sahel regions of West Africa.
The project aims to address bottlenecks that have caused traffic congestion along the corridor in recent years.
The government initially sought a public-private partnership in 2019 for the implementation of the project, but this was unsuccessful and was communicated to the Public Procurement Authority.
The government subsequently entered into a Design and Build contract (D and B contract) with the preferred bidder in December 2020, which was subsequently approved by the PPA.
Furthermore, the government represented by the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ministry of Finance executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on April 28, 2021, to execute the project.
In the MoU, it was agreed that the GIIF, acting through its subsidiary, ATEP Limited, would be granted a concession for the implementation of the project.
The action, therefore, is to provide efficient road infrastructure to ensure sustainable socio-economic development as it aligns with the national and sub-regional objective of improving connectivity and facilitating trade in the sub-region.
The Accra-Tema Motorway, which will consist of 10 lanes, spans Tema and continues through Fiesta Royale Hotel to the Apenkwa Bridge and to the Neoplan stretch.
The current Tetteh Quarshie Interchange will be remodelled to reduce the traffic congestion on the road.
On December 6, this year, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, laid the concessionary contract agreement before Parliament as a public-private partnership agreement.
The agreement was referred to the Joint Committee on Finance and Roads and Transport for consideration and report under Articles 75 and 103 of the 1992 Constitution and Order 171(1) and 189 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
SOURCE: Graphiconline
