More than 800 farmers whose lands fall within the right of way of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway are expected to receive compensation as preparatory works for the major road project continue.
So far, 469 farmers have been paid amounts ranging from about GH¢1,500 to GH¢350,000, based on valuation data provided by the Ministry of Roads and Highways.
Brigadier Jonas Wiafe, Director of Engineering Services of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), disclosed the figures at a ceremony in Kwaso in the Ejisu Municipality, where the cleared right of way was officially handed over for the project.
He said the compensation exercise was still ongoing and assured farmers who had not yet received their payments that they would be contacted.
“We have the required funds to make all those commitments,” Brigadier Wiafe said.
He also stressed that the clearing exercise did not affect any physical structures along the route.
“I must emphasise here, no physical property, that is buildings, whether mud houses or sandcrete, whether completed or uncompleted, was touched during the clearing operation,” he said.
The military engineering team instead focused on clearing vegetation and agricultural land along the designated corridor. The areas affected included food crop farms, rubber plantations and oil palm plantations.
The GAF was engaged through the Ministry of Defence by the Ministry of Roads and Highways to undertake the pre-construction activities required for the expressway.
According to Brigadier Wiafe, military engineers cleared 183.6 kilometres of the right of way, exceeding the initial target of 175.6 kilometres by eight kilometres.
The assignment covered a 120-metre-wide corridor stretching from Kilometer 13 in the Greater Accra Region to Kilometer 188 in the Ashanti Region.
Additional clearing was also carried out around some major intersections, with the team extending the work to 150 metres in those areas. Works were also undertaken around swampy sections, river lines and lands degraded by illegal mining.
The military team went beyond its original target for reclaiming degraded land. While the initial plan was to treat and reclaim five kilometres, Brigadier Wiafe said 15 kilometres had eventually been treated, reclaimed and opened up.
He explained that the exercise formed part of the critical preparatory work for the expressway, providing support for feasibility studies as well as initial and detailed engineering designs.
About 78 military engineers from the 48, 49, 50 and 51 Engineer Regiments, together with personnel from the Engineer Training School, were deployed for the assignment. They were supported by logistics, administrative and other personnel.
The engineers operated in three shifts, including during the night and on rainy days, to ensure the work stayed on schedule.
Brigadier Wiafe said the team had initially set a 20-week target for completing the exercise but finished the assignment in 19 weeks.
He described the achievement as another demonstration of the Ghana Armed Forces’ capacity to contribute to national development beyond its traditional security responsibilities.
He expressed appreciation to the government for entrusting the military engineers with the assignment, saying the successful completion of the work had reinforced the Armed Forces’ role as a reliable partner in major national development projects.
