The World Bank has approved a massive $500 million financing package for Ghana under the new Ghana Market Access and Connectivity Project (GMACP), a transformative initiative aimed at improving rural roads, strengthening agricultural trade, and creating thousands of jobs across the country.

For years, poor road networks and inadequate maintenance have negatively affected rural communities in Ghana. Farmers often struggle to transport their produce to markets due to bad roads, leading to high transportation costs, post-harvest losses, and reduced incomes.

The new project seeks to address these long-standing challenges by rehabilitating and maintaining critical feeder roads in key farming regions across Ghana. The initiative will improve year-round access between farming communities and major markets, helping farmers sell their produce more efficiently and expand into higher-value agricultural activities.

According to the World Bank, the project is expected to directly benefit more than 550,000 people, including approximately 350,000 farmers, 250,000 women, and 310,000 young people.

Robert Taliercio, the World Bank Division Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, said the project will significantly improve economic opportunities for rural communities while strengthening Ghana’s agricultural competitiveness and resilience.

In addition to improving transportation and trade, the project is expected to create over 5,000 direct jobs and more than 25,000 indirect jobs through road construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance activities.

The Ministry of Roads and Highways will oversee the implementation of the project, which will focus on rehabilitating and maintaining more than 1,000 kilometers of rural roads across several regions, including Upper West, Northern, Savannah, Oti, Volta, Eastern, Ashanti, Bono, and Western Regions.

These regions are major producers of important food crops such as maize, rice, yam, and cassava — crops that play a critical role in Ghana’s food security. However, poor road infrastructure has limited farmers’ ability to transport goods quickly and efficiently.

With improved road connectivity, farmers are expected to enjoy reduced transportation costs, shorter travel times, improved market access, and lower post-harvest losses. The project is also expected to strengthen agricultural value chains, increase supply reliability, and contribute to lower food prices nationwide.

Another key feature of the GMACP is its focus on climate resilience. Roads and drainage systems under the project will be designed to withstand climate-related challenges such as flooding and extreme weather conditions.

The project also places strong emphasis on long-term sustainability. It will support the operationalization of Ghana’s Road Maintenance Trust Fund (RMTF) and introduce Performance-Based Contracts for road maintenance to ensure roads remain in good condition long after construction is completed.

Technical assistance and institutional capacity-building will also form part of the initiative to improve road management and maintenance systems across the country.

The approval of the GMACP marks another major investment in Ghana’s infrastructure and agricultural sector, with the potential to significantly improve livelihoods, strengthen food security, and drive economic growth in rural communities.