Gabriel Opoku-Asare has been appointed by President John Dramani Mahama to chair the 15-member Board of Trustees of Ghana’s Road Maintenance Trust Fund (RMTF).
The Presidential Staffer and corporate executive succeeds Wassa East MP Isaac Adjei Mensah as head of the board.
Roads and Highways Minister Kwame Governs Agbodza formally inaugurated the trustees on Monday, November 9, at the Ministry of Roads and Highways in Accra.
The RMTF was established under the Road Maintenance Trust Fund Act, 2025 (Act 1147), after Parliament passed the legislation in July 2025. It replaced the former Road Fund and is responsible for financing routine road maintenance and the periodic rehabilitation of roads across Ghana.
Speaking at the inauguration, Mr Agbodza called on the trustees to uphold integrity, provide sound leadership and manage resources prudently. He said public funds must result in safer roads throughout the country.
The minister had earlier urged the board to prioritise small and medium-sized contractors who have been owed money since 2019.
Accepting his appointment, Mr Opoku-Asare said: “I am deeply honoured by this call to service. Road maintenance is where public money either protects lives and livelihoods or is lost to potholes and delay.”
He pledged to run the fund transparently and accountably, ensuring expenditure provided value and supported the government’s Reset Agenda.
Mr Opoku-Asare also promised to work with Parliament, road agencies, contractors and road users in carrying out the fund’s responsibilities.
He is the Presidency’s Chief Export Development Officer and has more than 20 years of leadership experience. His previous roles include positions at Guinness Ghana Breweries and Unilever Ghana.
His work at Diageo covered 13 priority markets in Africa, nine markets in Southeast Asia and North America, while his responsibilities at pawaTech extended across 18 African markets.
He also previously led a partnership with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) focused on drink-driving awareness.
RMTF Administrator Courage Kwabena Barlon is also a member of the board.
Other trustees include the Roads Ministry’s Chief Director, Ing. Samuel Kwasi Akuaku, and Sarah Fafa Kpodo, who represents the Attorney-General’s Office.
Government and stakeholder representatives are Richard Fedieley of the Transport Ministry, Dr Grace Fidelia Annan of the Finance Ministry, Amin Abdul-Rahaman of the Local Government Ministry, former Walewale MP Alidu Iddrisu Zakari representing civil society, and Sawla Wura Iddrisu Abdulai Nugbaso, representing road users.
The remaining members are presidential nominees Queen Mother Mamaga Sename III, Victoria Kuma-Mintah and Adam Awal; Stephen Kwaku Attatsi of the Association of Road Contractors; Surv. Rev. Allan Okomeng-Mensah of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors; and Ing. Godwin Joseph Brocke of the Ghana Institution of Engineering.
