Workers at the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) are urging the government to halt the implementation of the National Roads Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1118), warning of potential industrial action if their demands are not met.
The Act, passed earlier this year, aims to consolidate road sector functions under a single National Roads Authority to improve efficiency.
However, GHA employees are sceptical, arguing that the centralization risks increasing bureaucratic delays and could intensify existing operational challenges.
In a formal petition to the President, GHA workers requested broader stakeholder consultations before implementation.
The Act, in its current state, needs to be halted until a wider consultation is made and used to inform what institutional reforms are necessary,” the petition reads.
Furthermore, the workers have demanded the immediate removal of two high-ranking officials: GHA Board Chairman Ing. I.K. Mensah and Chief Executive Ing. Collins B. Donkor.
They accuse both officials of neglecting engagement with staff during the drafting process and of endorsing a law that compromises GHA’s autonomy.
“We have lost absolute confidence in their leadership,” the workers stated. They accuse both men of overseeing the Authority’s impending reduction to a division under the new National Roads Authority, a move they say undermines the independence and effectiveness of GHA.
“We were not consulted before the Act was passed, and this has resulted in a law that does not serve the interest or welfare of workers.”
The petition highlights sections of the Act that could diminish the Authority’s operational autonomy and points to the World Bank’s 2022 Diagnostic Study for Transforming the Ghana Highway Authority as evidence that GHA should become more autonomous, not subsumed under a larger body.
If the government fails to meet their demands, GHA workers have threatened a series of actions, including an indefinite strike. They have given the government seven working days to remove the two officials and 14 working days to withdraw or revoke the National Roads Authority Act.
“We will embark on a strike and lockout if our requests are not addressed,” the workers declared. Furthermore, they have vowed to boycott GHA’s 50th-anniversary dinner with the President if their concerns are ignored.
In their final appeal, the workers called on the President to act swiftly to preserve his legacy in Ghana’s road sector. “Your Excellency, we are confident that you will act expeditiously to resolve this issue in favour of the nation and the Authority.”
