President Mahama describes how Ghana card will be linked to vehicles for automated toll collection

President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated his government’s commitment to modernising Ghana’s road toll system by replacing traditional tollbooths with a fully digital toll collection mechanism, as proposed in the 2025 Economic Policy and Budget Statement.

Speaking on the initiative, the President said the new system would leverage existing digital infrastructure to streamline toll collection. Under the plan, every vehicle would be digitally linked to its owner’s Ghana Card, allowing for seamless billing of road tolls directly to the owner’s mobile money or bank account.

“We said in the budget that we were going to reintroduce road tolls, and so they’ve been talking about what the modalities should be and all that. But the good thing today is every car is linked to the owner’s Ghana card, and so we don’t need to have the old toll gates and those cards that you stand and open and all that,” the President said.

He explained that while consultations are still ongoing to determine the final operational model, the ultimate aim is to make the process fast, simple, and efficient, eliminating the need for physical toll booths and long queues.

“We will just go straight digital. If it is GHS 1, GHS 1. If you cross the East Legon bridge, the governor and finance minister will all be happy. We will just take a picture of your car, then we will take the bill to your MoMo or bank account and just pay GHS 1—only GHS 1,” he added.

The move is part of a broader agenda to enhance public revenue collection while reducing leakages and inefficiencies that plagued the previous manual toll collection system. By transitioning to a digital model, the government aims to not only ease the burden on commuters but also ensure that road maintenance funds are collected and managed more effectively.