Ghana spends considerable effort mobilising capital for new infrastructure, but the systems required to protect completed assets often receive less attention. Roads, drainage systems, public buildings, and other assets begin losing value the moment routine maintenance is deferred.
Our position is straightforward: maintenance should be planned and financed as part of the original investment case, with clear lifecycle budgets and named accountability for asset condition. A project is not fully delivered when construction ends; it is delivered when the institution responsible can keep it performing.
This shift would improve the value obtained from existing public assets without requiring the same level of new capital expenditure. Protecting what has already been built should be treated as an investment decision, not as an optional operating cost.
AFR