The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako-Atta has said that road toll will be reintroduced in 2023 but will now be collected electronically.
According to him, road users should be prepared to pay more than the 50 peswas and 1 cedis they used to pay previously.
“We are going to build modern expressway which will come with tolling facilities but those tolling facilities will be electronic tolling facility…if it has to come, it will be done electronically,” he said.
“The whole year, we were getting an average of GH₵78 million depending upon the ground condition, that amount of money cannot even build 10km of road. We were paying the lowest toll in the whole world. Meanwhile, we want excellent and good roads in our country.
“We want good things, we must be prepared to pay for more. We will no longer be paying the 50 pesewas and ₵1,” he added.
The reintroduction of the road toll is one of the revenue measures contained in the 2023 budget presented to Parliament by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta after it was scrapped a year ago by the government.
“The fiscal policy measures to underpin the 2023 Budget for consideration and approval by Parliament include the reintroduction of tolls on selected public roads and highways with a renewed focus on leveraging technology in the collection to address the inefficiencies characterized by the previous toll collection regime,” paragraph 462 of the 2023 Budget statement reads.
Meanwhile, the Minority in parliament has promised to give their full support if only the revenue from the collection of the toll would be used solely on road maintenance.