No serious country scraps toll boots — Asenso Boakye

Asenso-Boakye

Francis Asenso-Boakye, the new Roads and Highways Minister, has revealed plans to reintroduce road tolls, citing the common global practice where toll proceeds contribute to road maintenance funds.

The suspension of road tolls by the previous government, led by former Minister Amoako Atta, has raised concerns about the impact on the country's road network, currently in a state of severe disrepair.

Previously, road toll collection played a crucial role in funding road maintenance efforts. However, the Ministry of Roads and Highways abruptly halted toll collection nationwide in 2021, effective November 18 of that year.

Initially aimed at reducing traffic congestion and in anticipation of implementing the e-levy, the decision to scrap toll collection seems to have backfired, as the e-levy has not generated the expected funds since its passage. This shortfall has prompted the need for the reintroduction of road tolls.

In an interview on TV3 on Monday, June 10, the Bantama MP emphasized the importance of tolling roads, noting that he has not observed any serious country that does not toll its roads.

“In many countries, they use the toll that we collect from the roads to finance maintenance. So, at our ministry, we have started the process by engaging the various stakeholders to get their buy-in to make sure that we bring the road toll back. This is very important. I have never seen any serious country where they don’t toll their road,” he stated.