Mahama Orders Crackdown on Overloaded Trucks to Save Ghana’s Roads, Kicks Off Takoradi-Cape Coast Dualisation
President John Dramani Mahama has announced a stringent enforcement of axle-weight limits for heavy-duty trucks, signaling a decisive move to curb the rampant deterioration of Ghana’s road network caused by overloading.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony for the dualisation of the 120-kilometer Takoradi–Cape Coast road under the ambitious Big Push infrastructure initiative, Mahama decried weak enforcement, inadequate weighbridge infrastructure, and equipment tampering that have allowed overloaded vehicles to wreak havoc, costing the state an estimated GH¢1.2 billion annually in repairs.
“Overloaded trucks are tearing apart our roads, inflating maintenance costs, and delaying economic progress,” Mahama declared, emphasizing that consultations with stakeholders—including the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), haulage unions, and the Ministry of Roads and Highways—are finalizing measures for rigorous enforcement.
The policy, set to roll out within weeks, will see increased weighbridge installations—targeting 20 new stations by mid-2026—and GPS-tracked monitoring to deter tampering, aligning with the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180), which caps axle loads at 11.5 tonnes for single-axle trucks and 25 tonnes for articulated vehicles.
The Takoradi–Cape Coast dualisation, a $150 million project funded partly through a Chinese Exim Bank loan, aims to slash travel time by up to 50% (from 2.5 hours to 1.2 hours) and boost trade along the Western-Central corridor, a vital artery for Ghana’s $70 billion economy.
Contractors, led by China Railway Construction, have pledged completion within 18 months, ahead of the 24-month timeline, leveraging 1,200 local jobs and advanced paving technology. Mahama also revealed plans to revive the stalled Western Regional Hospital Project, now at 27% completion after a two-year hiatus, with a new 18-month deadline to deliver 200 beds and specialized units for the region’s 1.8 million residents.
