Few roads in Africa are named after a sitting or recent American president. Accra has one. The six-lane George Walker Bush Highway, part of the N1 between Tetteh Quarshie and Mallam, was opened on 15 February 2012 by President John Evans Atta Mills, and Ghanaian drivers have called it “the Bush road” ever since.
The Millennium Challenge
The road was paid for by the United States through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US government agency created in 2004 under President George W. Bush to give development grants to countries meeting certain standards on governance and economic policy. Ghana’s first MCC compact, signed in 2006, was worth about $547 million, among the largest MCC grants of its time.
$175 million
Ghanaian television reports put the cost of the N1 highway at about $175 million from that grant. The compact also funded agriculture, rural development and other infrastructure, but the Accra road was the most visible project.
Why Bush
Bush visited Ghana in February 2008, near the end of his presidency, and was warmly received. His administration’s aid programmes, including the MCC and the PEPFAR HIV/AIDS initiative, were popular in many African countries. Naming the highway after him was a gesture of gratitude for the grant.
The route
The highway runs for about 14 kilometres across the western side of Accra, linking the Tetteh Quarshie interchange area with Mallam junction, and passing through Achimota, Lapaz and Abeka. It gave drivers a faster alternative to older roads through the city and connected the Accra-Kumasi road and the road towards Kasoa and the west.
Pedestrians and footbridges
The fast six-lane road cut through busy neighbourhoods, and pedestrian safety soon became an issue. Footbridges were built, but many people continued to cross on foot at road level, and accidents involving pedestrians were reported. Hawkers selling to stopped traffic added to the risk.
Wear and repair
More than a decade after opening, parts of the highway needed redevelopment. In December 2023, Ghana’s Parliament approved a $338 million loan for road works that included about 5.7 kilometres of the N1, alongside the Accra-Tema Motorway.
Traffic
The Bush road did not end Accra’s traffic jams. The city’s car population has grown faster than its roads, and rush hour at Lapaz or Achimota can still bring the highway to a crawl. But for many western Accra residents, the road changed how they move around the city.
An American president’s name sits on a road that most Accra drivers use without thinking about who paid for it. It is one of the plainest examples of how foreign aid can end up as part of everyday life.
