Asenso Boakye: NPP laid foundation for digital road tolls, not Mahama

Former Minister for Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso Boakye, has rejected claims about President John Dramani Mahama’s road toll plan. He argues that the foundation was laid by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

On May 26, President Mahama announced a modernized, cashless toll system. This system will eliminate physical toll booths. It will use digital tools like Ghana Card-linked vehicle ownership data for automatic billing and mobile payments.

Asenso Boakye responded on Facebook on May 27 to clarify the situation. He stated that the NPP government had already planned to digitize toll collection before Mahama took office in January 2025.

In 2021, the NPP administration suspended manual toll collection. This decision addressed low revenue yield, severe congestion, high vehicle operating costs, and revenue leakages.

He noted that the NPP was developing a tech-driven alternative using existing digital infrastructure. This included the Ghana Card and Digital Address System.

Cabinet approved reintroducing road tolls through a digital platform in 2024. The Ministry of Roads and Highways planned to use a Public-Private Partnership model under Act 1039.

An indigenous Ghanaian company was selected as the concessionaire after feasibility studies. A Concessions Agreement was drafted but not passed before the legislative term ended.

Asenso Boakye expressed disappointment that Mahama's administration abandoned this process. He emphasized that it is misleading to present the digital toll initiative as new.

He called for policy continuity instead of “political repackaging” of previous initiatives. Ghanaians deserve leadership that builds on progress rather than claiming others' work as their own.