Former Roads Minister sets record straight on digital road toll collection

Former Minister for Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has responded to recent claims. He refuted suggestions that the reintroduction of digital road tolls is a new idea from President Mahama's administration.

In a statement on May 27, 2025, he clarified the facts. The groundwork for a digitized toll collection system was laid by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government before Mahama took office in January 2025.

This response follows President Mahama’s comments at the 2025 Ghana CEOs’ Summit. There, he announced plans to reintroduce road tolls using a digital system linked to the Ghana Card and mobile money or bank accounts. The president framed this move as part of Ghana’s digital transformation agenda.

Asenso-Boakye welcomed the focus on digitization. However, he stressed that the current administration is continuing work started under the NPP government.

He noted that in 2021, the NPP suspended manual toll collection due to several issues. These included low revenue yield, traffic congestion, high vehicle operating costs, and revenue leakages.

The NPP utilized Ghana’s strong digital infrastructure to create a modern tolling solution. In 2024, Cabinet approved reintroducing tolls through this digital system. This decision was confirmed in the 2024 Mid-Year Budget Review.

His statement also detailed a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) process established under the Public-Private Partnership Act of 2020. This led to selecting an indigenous Ghanaian firm as project concessionaire. However, Parliament could not ratify the final concession agreement before its session ended.

Asenso-Boakye expressed disappointment over the new government's choice to abandon this advanced process and restart procurement procedures. He stated that while every administration has procurement rights, they should not claim credit for existing initiatives.

He concluded by calling for continuity and honest leadership: “Ghanaians deserve leadership that builds on progress.”