Ghana’s government has inaugurated a 17-member Technical Committee to accelerate the long-stalled $1.2bn Accra Marine Drive Tourism Investment Project, tasking it with delivering visible construction progress within 18 to 24 months after years of governance failures, funding shortfalls and administrative paralysis, Ghana News Agency reported on April 22.
The committee was inaugurated by Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, and is chaired by Deputy Minister Yussif Issaka Jajah. Its mandate includes resolving technical bottlenecks, facilitating implementation, ensuring effective communication of decisions across member institutions and supporting the digitalisation of project processes. tangyOcean
The project covers 241 acres of prime waterfront land stretching from Osu Christiansborg Castle to the Arts Centre in the Ga Mashie enclave and is designed to transform Accra’s coastline into a major tourism, commercial and leisure hub. It is projected to create around 150,000 jobs once fully developed.
The total infrastructure development budget across all three phases has been put at $214mn, within the broader $1.2bn overall project value. The infrastructure scope covers roads, drainage, telecommunications, a waterfront promenade, a boardwalk and public amenities. Upon completion, a wholly government-owned special purpose vehicle, Accra Marine Drive Enclave Limited, will issue commercial leases to private developers vetted against the project masterplan. UNESCO
The enclave is planned around three tourism categories: business activities along Accra High Street; leisure along the seafront; and cultural tourism, preserving heritage sites including Osu Castle, Black Star Square, Asomdwe Park and the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum. An amphitheatre and street arts facilities are also included in the development vision. Against the Compass
The project’s origins trace back to Ghana’s first republic, when President Kwame Nkrumah sought to establish Accra as a major tourism destination. The government acquired the 241-acre land parcel in 2016 under Executive Instrument 59, and President Nana Akufo-Addo cut the sod in 2017 under a public-private partnership structure. Despite that ceremony, actual construction never commenced.
Past misuse and misapplication of funds, combined with weak project governance, led to insufficient capital to sustain implementation. The project’s Board of Directors was only inaugurated in December 2025, at which Gomashie warned that delays could no longer be tolerated and demanded strict accountability.
In April 2025, Gomashie paid a site visit to inspect work completed to date, where she was briefed by Kwame Atta Acheampong, Managing Director of Attachy Construction Ltd, the anchor developer, and J.B. Asafo Boakye, the engineering consultant. The minister commended progress at the site and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to completion.
The 17-member committee brings together a wide cross-section of state bodies, including the Ghana Tourism Authority, Ghana Tourism Development Company, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly, Lands Commission, Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, Ghana Water Company Limited, Electricity Company of Ghana, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the Ministry of Finance, the Attorney-General’s Department and the Ghana Telecommunications Chamber, alongside project consultant ABP Consult and anchor contractor Attachy Construction.
President John Dramani Mahama, in his State of the Nation address on March 1, 2025, confirmed his administration’s commitment to the project, saying the government would reassess work completed under the previous administration and take decisive action to bring it back on track.
“This is a legacy project that will reshape our coastline and strengthen Ghana’s position on the global tourism map,” said Minister Gomashie. “We must act with speed while ensuring efficiency, collaboration, and accountability at every stage.”
“If we see visible development at the Marine Drive site, we should be proud to have contributed to this national project,” said Deputy Minister Jajah.