Kwabena Agyepong faults successive govts for infrastructure decay; urges shift from new projects to maintenance

Aspiring New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential Flagbearer, Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, has renewed his long-standing advocacy for a national maintenance culture, arguing that Ghana’s development setbacks stem more from neglect of existing infrastructure than from a lack of new projects.

His comments come in reaction to the 2026 Budget Statement, which outlines yet another round of new capital projects despite the country’s strained fiscal environment.

Agyepong, a civil engineer and former Presidential Press Secretary, has for years been vocal about the chronic infrastructure deterioration, blaming it on political cycles that prioritise groundbreaking ceremonies over long-term asset management.

He reiterated that successive governments — both NPP and NDC — have failed to safeguard billions of cedis worth of public assets because maintenance has never been treated as a national development pillar.

Tracing the background of the problem, he noted that major public facilities such as hospitals, schools, highways, and government estates often fall into disrepair mere years after completion. This, he argues, happens because governments are more eager to claim political credit for new projects than to allocate the necessary resources to maintain those built by their predecessors.

“What Ghana lacks is not infrastructure,” he stressed, “but responsible stewardship and management of what we already have.”

Commenting specifically on the 2026 Budget, Agyepong said the document failed to address the fundamental issue at the heart of Ghana’s infrastructure crisis: maintenance funding and accountability.

He insisted that the real measure of leadership is not the number of new projects announced but the ability to preserve the value of existing investments.

He added that Ghana needs “serious-minded leaders” who are intentional, strategic, and accountable in managing public resources. For him, effective development lies in sustaining what already exists to ensure longevity, efficiency, and value for money — not in constantly pursuing politically attractive, high-profile projects.

Agyepong concluded that adopting a national maintenance policy, backed by strict enforcement and transparency, would drastically improve service delivery, reduce waste, and place Ghana on a more sustainable development path.