Two years after scrapping road tolls in response to the contentious passage of the Electronic Transactions Levy (E-Levy), the government is now contemplating the reintroduction of tolls starting in 2024.
Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, revealed this development on the floor of Parliament on December 15, 2023, while defending his ministry’s budget estimates in the 2024 budget.
Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin explained the importance of reinstating toll collection, emphasizing the need to combat corruption and ensure that the funds collected do not end up in private hands.
“The committee tells us that road tolls are likely to be introduced. I believe that for good reason government had a policy of not having tolls collected.
“Mr. Speaker, at the time we were receiving almost about, just a little over 70 million,” he referenced a report that said over 70% of tolls collected ended up in wrong hands.
He continued: “I hold the view that this reintroduction of the road tolls… should come with a digitalised solution to sustain it so that the human interface will be minimized if not to be eradicated.”
Afenyo-Markin continued, expressing the view that the reintroduction of road tolls should be accompanied by a digitalized solution to sustain it, minimizing or eradicating human interface.
Some lawmakers from the Minority also supported the idea of toll reintroduction. In recent times, former toll booth employees protested non-payment of arrears and the lack of alternative employment after the closure of collection points affected their jobs.
Currently, the government will need to invest new funds in rebuilding most toll collection points, which have deteriorated due to abandonment.
Meanwhile, Parliament has approved GH₵4.6 billion for the ministry’s operations in the coming year.