Osu residents worried about losing their homes to bulldozers can breathe a little easier. Roads and Highways Minister Kwame Agbodza says that's not the plan.
Speaking at the 2026 World Architecture Day celebration organised by the Ghana Institute of Architects, Agbodza addressed what has become a touchy subject for anyone living along the coast in Osu.
Government wants to build a road from Tema all the way to Winneba, hugging the beach side. The alignment, he said, has existed for years. What's standing in the way is a single awkward stretch, roughly 500 metres, cutting right through Osu.
"No one is just going to go through Osu and demolish everything just because we want to build a road. We are sensitive to things like that," Agbodza said, pushing back against what has clearly become a persistent fear in the community.
He's Been Reading the Comments
There was a candid moment in his remarks that felt less like a prepared speech and more like a man responding directly to the internet.
Agbodza admitted he's been following public reaction online, and it hasn't always been flattering toward decision-makers like him.
"I have been reading all your comments, and sometimes I get to feel that it is interesting that when you are out there, you feel everybody who is a decision-maker is blind, or we are inconsiderate about what we do.
"I read every comment, and I take them seriously," - Kwame Agbodza
That's why, he added, government brought in Architect Deban specifically to help navigate the tricky stretch.
Why a One-Way Street Won't Solve It
Some residents have floated a simpler fix, just make it one-way through Osu and avoid tearing anything down. Agbodza shut that idea down with numbers.
A one-way arrangement, he explained, still needs road width, somewhere around six to seven metres, plus space for pedestrian walkways.
Build that through Osu's dense layout, and the demolition required would actually exceed what's needed for the 500-metre coastal stretch currently under debate.
"The level of demolition you will do, the damage you need to cause to do that is far more than what you do within the 500 meters of stretch we are talking about," he said.
Roads Aren't Just Asphalt, Agbodza Says
Beyond the Osu specifics, the Minister offered a broader philosophy that seemed aimed squarely at architects in the room. Roads, he argued, cut through people's lives, not just landscapes.
"Roads are not basically lines paved with concrete or asphalt for people to drive from point A to point B. Along that stretch are communities, our lives, our farms and everything," he said.
He closed with a direct assurance to anyone still anxious about what's coming.
"Architect Deban and others are helping us to do the best possible to have both cases resolved. So rest assured that we are not going to just go there with dozers and raze down every building," Agbodza said.
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