The Minister for Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has called for the reintroduction of road tolls in a bid to mobilize adequate revenue to bridge the country’s road infrastructural deficit.
The collection of road tolls was discontinued in 2021 as part of policy measures announced by the government in the preceding year’s budget statement.
During an assessment tour of the Accra-Kumasi Highway, the sector minister underscored the need for prompt maintenance of the Eastern Corridor roads, citing parts of their deteriorating condition.
According to him, most developed countries finance their roads using money from road tolls.
He stated that there is no serious country that does not toll its roads, and thus called for the reintroduction of the toll.
“Before we take action, maintenance also needs money. Many countries use the tolls they collect, the monies from road tolls to finance maintenance. But in our case, we have suspended it. I think it’s a good time for us to have a discussion. We need to bring back these road tolls so that we can get money to maintain our roads. That’s very important. So, other ministries, we have started the process by engaging the various stakeholders to make sure that we bring the road toll back. I’ve never seen any serious country where they don’t toll their roads.”
