“We Have Not Abandoned PPPs” — Acheampong Defends Govt’s Plan To Use Public Funds First, Bring In Private Sector Later
Story By: Deborah Adorsu
Technical Advisor to the Finance Minister, Dr Theophilus Acheampong, has dismissed suggestions that government has abandoned Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), insisting the decision to use public funds for some major projects is to fast-track delivery, not to shut out the private sector.
Speaking in an interview on Friday, November 13, 2026, during a review of the 2027 Budget, Dr Acheampong said the government remains fully committed to PPPs.
The Trigger: Accra-Kumasi Expressway
The clarification came a day after Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson told Parliament that the proposed Accra-Kumasi Expressway would be financed entirely from public funds already banked at the Bank of Ghana, rather than through borrowing or a conventional PPP.
Dr Forson said nearly US$3 billion is already sitting at the central bank for the project, as part of a GH¢29.8 billion allocation for roads nationwide in the 2027 Budget.
That announcement drew sharp criticism from Professor Godfred Bokpin of the University of Ghana Business School, who argued that major roads like Accra-Kumasi should be left to private investors through PPPs, to free up public money for social infrastructure like schools, hospitals and water.
Why Government Says It Must Act Fast
Dr Acheampong explained that taking a project of the scale of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway through the traditional PPP route — from structuring, to procurement, to financial closure — could take 7 to 10 years before construction even finishes.
Private Sector Will Come In Later
According to Dr Acheampong, using public funds now does not close the door on private investors. Once construction is completed, government can sell part of its equity stake to private partners.
He said this approach achieves two goals at once:
- Accelerate delivery of critical infrastructure
- Create opportunity for private sector participation later, with less risk
The Bigger Picture
The debate plays out against a 2027 Budget that projects record spending of GH¢389.2 billion against a deficit of GH¢65.8 billion.
Dr Acheampong said he understood Prof Bokpin’s concerns about spreading investment evenly across regions, but argued that in Ghana’s current fiscal circumstances, front-loading the Accra-Kumasi project with public resources before opening it to private participation was the more practical route.
Government insists PPPs remain a core part of its infrastructure strategy — it is only changing the sequencing: public money first to build fast, private money later to sustain and expand.