Stability Came at a Price — BoG Governor Asiama Opens Up on the True Cost of Ghana’s Economic Recovery
Ghana’s improved economic performance in 2025 did not come for free. That was the candid message from the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama, who used his appearance at the Kwahu Business Forum 2026 to pull back the curtain on the significant financial burden the central bank bore to deliver the macroeconomic stability that businesses and households have come to enjoy. Speaking at the Governor’s Roundtable session, which served as the closing highlight of the four-day forum, Dr. Asiama painted a picture of an institution that had to make costly, difficult decisions in order to steer Ghana’s economy back from the brink of high inflation and currency instability. “The Cedi is stable and under control,” he told the gathering. But behind that stability, he explained, lay a resource-intensive effort that stretched the central bank’s operations considerably. “Last year was good but expensive for the central bank. It took us a lot of money to mop up excess liquidity and bring inflation down to 5.4% by December 2025,” he said. The Governor was equally frank about the nature of central banking itself, describing it as a discipline defined by difficult choices. “The work we do is always about trade-offs… trying to strike the right balance,” he noted, a remark that resonated with business owners in the audience who understand all too well the tension between cost management and growth. At the heart of those trade-offs is the perennial challenge of controlling inflation without stifling credit and economic activity. To bring inflation down, central banks drain excess liquidity from the financial system — but doing so comes at a price. The higher the volume of liquidity to be absorbed, the greater the cost to the central bank’s balance sheet. In Ghana’s case, that cost was particularly steep in 2025, when inflation was slashed from 23.8% at the close of 2024 to 5.4% by December 2025, a reduction of 18.4 percentage points in a single year. Such an aggressive disinflation required equally aggressive monetary operations, and the Governor made no attempt to downplay the toll it took. Yet, looking ahead, Dr. Asiama offered a more optimistic outlook. With inflation now subdued and the monetary environment more stable, he suggested that the scale of intervention required going forward would be considerably smaller. “If you look at where inflation was at the end of December 2024 and where it is now, it wouldn’t involve the same level of resources to keep it low and stable going forward,” he said. That is welcome news not just for the central bank’s balance sheet, but for the broader economy. A less burdened central bank, operating in a low-inflation environment, is better positioned to support the kind of credit expansion that businesses need to grow. Dr. Asiama underscored this connection directly: “When banks are strong, they can give more credit.” The Governor’s Roundtable brought the 2026 Kwahu Business Forum to a close. The event, which ran from April 3, drew an impressive gathering of business owners, industrialists, investors, policymakers, and development partners, all convened to deliberate on policies capable of stimulating business growth. Among those in attendance were Chief of Staff to the President, Julius Debrah; Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey; Economic Advisor to the President, Seth Terkper; and Legal Counsel to the President, Marietta Agyeiwaa Brew. With the forum concluded, the conversations it sparked, about the cost of stability, the future of credit, and the path to sustainable growth, are ones Ghana’s business community will be watching closely as the year unfolds. Source: Apexnewsgh.com
Sachet Water Price Hike Suspended — Government Steps In to Protect Consumers
Ghanaians can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for now. The price of sachet water will remain unchanged after a planned increase, which was set to take effect on Monday, April 6, was suspended. The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry made the announcement, signalling a timely intervention ahead of what would have been an unwelcome burden on households already navigating economic pressures. In a press statement, the ministry, led by Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, commended the Ghana Plastic Manufacturers Association (GPMA) and the National Association of Sachet and Packaged Water Producers for pulling back on the proposed price adjustment. The ministry described the decision as a demonstration of commitment to consumer protection and market stability, assuring the public that no increase has taken effect and that sachet water remains available at its current price. The suspension, however, is only part of the story. Behind the scenes, producers and manufacturers have been grappling with rising production costs, a challenge the government acknowledges cannot be ignored indefinitely. To address this, a meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, bringing together manufacturers and producers to discuss the factors driving the proposed increase, with production costs expected to take centre stage in the conversation. A key concern raised is Ghana’s heavy reliance on imported raw materials, particularly polymers, the primary ingredient used in sachet production. It is this dependence on imports that has made producers vulnerable to external cost pressures, and it is a vulnerability the government is now actively seeking to address. “As a ministry, we are very concerned about feeding the industry with available raw materials. In fact, that has been our mandate since the government took over,” said Mr. Addo, speaking on behalf of the ministry. “So what we are doing right now is speaking to other stakeholders in the value chain to see if we can have locally available polymers, which are the main ingredients in sachet production,” he added. The push to source raw materials locally is being framed not merely as a cost-saving measure, but as a longer-term strategy to stabilise sachet water prices and insulate the industry from the volatility of global commodity markets. For now, consumers can continue to purchase their daily sachet water without digging deeper into their pockets. But the Wednesday meeting will be a critical test of whether government, manufacturers, and producers can find common ground on a sustainable path forward, one that keeps sachet water affordable without leaving producers unable to cover their costs. Source: Apexnewsgh.com
BoG Governor Asiama Speaks on Ghana’s Economic Progress at Kwahu Business Forum
The Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama, on Sunday, April 5, participated in the Kwahu Business Forum Governor’s Roundtable session, where he engaged the business community on Ghana’s economic development and the policy decisions shaping the country’s financial landscape. Governor Asiama used the platform to reflect on Ghana’s economic performance in 2025, acknowledging the significant strides made while also shedding light on the difficult policy trade-offs that central banks face globally. On the subject of inflation, a matter of keen interest to the business community, Dr. Asiama was candid about the price paid to achieve the current low inflation environment. “Last year was good but expensive for the central bank. It took us a lot of money to mop up excess liquidity and bring inflation down to 5.4% by December 2025,” he stated. He also pointed to the stable exchange rate as one of several strong macroeconomic indicators, asserting confidently, “The Cedi is stable and under control.” Elaborating on the nature of central banking, he noted, “The work we do is always about trade-offs… trying to strike the right balance.” Ghana’s inflation story in 2025 is a remarkable one. The rate dropped from 23.8% at end-December 2024 to 5.4% by end-December 2025, a reduction of 18.4 percentage points within a single year. Achieving such a dramatic decline, however, came at a considerable financial cost to the central bank. Central banks, by mandate, are tasked with maintaining economic stability, primarily by keeping inflation low and stable. To do this, they employ monetary policy tools, including Open Market Operations (OMO), which involve draining excess liquidity from the economy. In Ghana’s case, the Bank of Ghana issues BoG Bills purchased by commercial banks. The cost of issuing these bills is heavily influenced by the prevailing policy rate, making large-scale liquidity mop-up exercises particularly expensive. At the last Monetary Policy Committee press briefing, Governor Asiama disclosed that the cost of the Bank’s Open Market Operations rose significantly in 2025 as a result of the aggressive liquidity mop-up exercise. This is a challenge not unique to Ghana, other major monetary authorities, including the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank, face similar pressures when deploying tools to rein in inflation. The rationale for bearing such costs, however, is clear. Inflation, left unchecked, erodes the real incomes of citizens. Even when nominal wages remain unchanged, every uptick in inflation reduces the purchasing power of households. Central banks, therefore, cannot afford to be passive bystanders. Despite the heavy cost incurred in 2025, Governor Asiama expressed confidence that the year ahead would tell a different story. “If you look at where inflation was at the end of December 2024 and where it is now, it wouldn’t involve the same level of resources to keep it low and stable going forward,” he said. The logic is straightforward. With current inflation already below 4%, the scale of intervention required to maintain price stability in 2026 is far less demanding than the monumental effort needed to slash inflation by 18.4 percentage points in 2025. The Bank of Ghana’s monetary operations going forward are therefore expected to be less costly, easing pressure on the central bank’s balance sheet. Beyond inflation and monetary policy costs, Governor Asiama underscored the importance of collaboration between the central bank and the broader financial sector. He assured the business community that the Bank of Ghana remains committed to strengthening financial markets and the banking sector. “When banks are strong, they can give more credit,” he noted, a statement that speaks directly to the aspirations of businesses seeking access to financing for growth and expansion. Governor Asiama’s appearance at the Kwahu Business Forum offered a rare and frank window into the inner workings of central banking in Ghana. His remarks painted a picture of an institution that has made difficult, costly decisions in the interest of macroeconomic stability, and one that is now positioned to consolidate those gains at a lower cost. With inflation subdued, the Cedi stable, and a more favourable monetary environment taking shape, 2026 appears to hold genuine promise for Ghana’s economy and its business community. Source: Apexnewsgh.com
The Untold Story of Tema Oil Refinery’s Remarkable Turnaround
Not long ago, Ghana’s Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) was a shadow of its former self, debt-ridden, operationally crippled, and hemorrhaging talent. Today, its furnaces are burning again. But the man who helped turn the tide says the journey back from the brink was anything but straightforward. Edmond Kombat, Managing Director of TOR, offered a candid and at times sobering account of the refinery’s recent history during an engagement with fellows of the African Extractive Media Fellowship (AEMF), describing the state of the institution before its revival as “depressing” and nearly beyond recovery. Kombat traced the refinery’s descent from a relatively stable footing in 2016 to what he characterised as a near-collapse by 2024. At the heart of the crisis was a debt burden that had once been brought under control, reduced from $650 million to approximately $300 million before 2017, only to balloon again to around $517 million in the years that followed. The financial deterioration was accompanied by operational shutdowns, poor maintenance, and mounting liabilities across the board. The scale of the financial obligations was staggering. TOR had accumulated significant debts to the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ghana Water, and various staff-related funds. Years of unaudited accounts and massive cumulative losses compounded the institutional rot. On the ground, the physical infrastructure told an equally grim story: 17 storage tanks were out of service, and key processing plants sat idle. Beyond the balance sheet, Kombat painted a picture of an institution hollowed out from within. Internal divisions, low staff morale, and a high attrition rate saw skilled workers depart for opportunities in the Middle East and at larger facilities such as the Dangote Refinery. “The place was so depressing that it almost looked like there was no way out,” he admitted. Rather than waiting for a government bailout, management took a different approach upon assuming leadership, one focused on internal reform and rebuilding trust from the ground up. Central to this effort was addressing the human resource grievances that had long festered within the institution. Over 300 staff petitions were reviewed, resulting in promotions and salary adjustments designed to restore confidence and reignite productivity. With limited financial capacity, TOR turned to unconventional revenue strategies to keep the lights on. The refinery extended its operational hours, attracted regional clients — including Burkina Faso — for petroleum storage services, and worked to rebuild confidence among private petroleum service providers. According to Kombat, these measures helped stabilise revenue streams and provided the foundation for initial restoration works. The clearest sign that TOR’s recovery was real came on December 19, 2025, when the refinery resumed refining operations after years of inactivity — a milestone that few had believed possible just months earlier. In a testament to the capability of its workforce, the primary processing unit, known as the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU), was successfully restored by in-house engineers without any external technical support. Work is now ongoing to rehabilitate the secondary processing unit, the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC), which is expected to further enhance output and product value once operational. The rebuilding effort has extended to critical infrastructure across the refinery. Storage tanks are being rehabilitated, the loading gantry is being modernised, and a recruitment drive is underway to address an ageing workforce. To date, over 400 temporary workers and 300 permanent staff have been engaged as part of the recovery phase. Kombat was emphatic about the strategic importance of TOR to Ghana’s energy security. The refinery holds a unique position in the national petroleum supply chain, it is one of the few facilities capable of producing aviation fuel and premix fuel, and boasts storage capacity estimated at one million metric tonnes, with connections to key national and regional supply routes. Allowing such an asset to fall into irreversible disrepair, he warned, could have serious consequences, especially in an era of heightened geopolitical tensions that continue to disrupt global oil markets. Yet for all the progress made, Kombat was careful not to overstate where TOR stands today. “We are just scratching the surface,” he said, stressing that the refinery’s recovery remains in its early stages and that continuity in both management and policy direction will be essential to consolidating the gains achieved so far. The story of TOR’s revival is still being written, but for the first time in years, it appears to have a fighting chance at a different ending. Source: Apexnewsgh.com
GPRTU Warns of Fare Hikes as Fuel Prices Surge, Government Urged to Act
Transport operators in Ghana are running out of patience, and options. Samuel Amoah, Deputy Industrial and Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), has issued a stern warning to authorities: act now or face the consequences of higher transport fares. Speaking to the media, Amoah acknowledged the government’s position that current economic pressures are beyond its immediate control, but made clear that transport operators cannot afford to absorb the rising costs indefinitely. “What the government and the president is saying is, it is something they can’t control right now, but the transport operators may be forced to,” he stated. The union has already moved beyond words. Amoah revealed that GPRTU issued a formal release giving the government a two-day window to respond with concrete action. “We came up with this release and gave the government two days to do something about it. If they fail to do [that]…then we have no option but to organise ourselves to request an increment of transport fares for our members,” he warned. The ultimatum comes against the backdrop of a sharp jump in fuel prices following new pricing guidelines issued by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA). For the April 1 to April 15 pricing window, the NPA has set minimum ex-pump prices at GHS 13.30 per litre for petrol and GHS 17.10 per litre for diesel. The figures represent a steep climb from the previous pricing window, which ended March 31, when petrol was pegged at GHS 11.57 per litre and diesel at GHS 14.35 per litre, increases of roughly 14.9% and 19.2%, respectively, within a single pricing cycle. The fuel price surge has been largely attributed to escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which continue to rattle global oil markets and push crude prices higher. For transport operators already navigating tight margins, the latest price adjustments have pushed the sector to a breaking point. With the government yet to respond to the union’s demands, the clock is ticking. If no relief measures are forthcoming, Ghanaian commuters may soon find themselves digging deeper into their pockets at the bus stop. Source: Apexnewsgh.com
Ghana’s Inflation Tumbles to 3.2% in March 2026 — Lowest Since 2021 CPI Rebasing
Ghana’s inflation rate fell to 3.2% in March 2026, its lowest level since the rebasing of the Consumer Price Index in 2021, signaling a remarkable turnaround for an economy that was battling runaway prices just a year ago. The milestone arrives even as rising global fuel costs, fanned by the simmering geopolitical tensions in the Iran–U.S.–Israel conflict, threaten to reignite price pressures. The latest data released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) paints a picture of steady disinflation, with the headline rate posting a sharp year-on-year decline from 22.4% recorded in March 2025, a drop of more than 19 percentage points in twelve months. On a month-on-month basis, however, overall prices nudged up only marginally, rising just 0.1% between February and March, suggesting that the broader downward trend remains intact. Breaking down the numbers, food inflation eased slightly to 2.3% from 2.4% the previous month, while non-food inflation moderated to 3.9%. A notable concern, however, emerged in the services sector, where inflation surged to 7.2%, a signal that cost pressures in transport, energy, and utilities have not yet fully dissipated. On the goods side, prices offered consumers some welcome relief, declining by 1.0%. Locally produced items saw inflation tick up modestly to 4.9%, while imported goods recorded a deflation of 0.6%, reflecting the relative stability of the Ghanaian cedi against major trading currencies. The regional picture told a more uneven story. The North East Region recorded the highest inflation in the country at 8.6%, while the Savannah Region stood at the opposite end of the spectrum, posting a deflationary rate of minus 4.6%, a stark reminder that the benefits of macroeconomic stabilization are not uniformly felt across Ghana’s diverse regions. In the financial sector, the sustained easing of inflation is beginning to filter through to lending conditions. Average lending rates from commercial banks eased to around 21.5% in March, down from 22.1% in February, reflecting the Bank of Ghana’s cautious but growing optimism about the inflation outlook. The sustained decline in inflation, even against the backdrop of global fuel-related shocks, points to strengthening macroeconomic fundamentals and is raising expectations of further interest rate cuts in the near term. Yet, the sharp rise in services inflation serves as a reminder that the battle against underlying cost pressures is far from over. For Ghanaian households and businesses alike, the direction of travel is encouraging, but the road to full price stability remains a work in progress. Source: Apexnewsgh.com
Burkina Faso Bans Tomato Imports to Boost Local Farming
Burkina Faso has officially kicked off a ban on the importation of tomatoes, marking a significant policy shift aimed at protecting local farmers and driving growth in the country’s domestic agricultural sector. The ban, which takes effect today, forms part of a broader push by the Burkinabè government to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign produce and move toward greater self-sufficiency in food production. By limiting competition from imported tomatoes, particularly those flowing in from neighbouring countries, authorities hope to create a more favourable market environment for local growers who have long struggled to compete with cheaper foreign alternatives. Beyond shielding farmers from external competition, officials believe the policy will catalyze increased production, helping to stabilise prices at the farm gate and strengthen the country’s agribusiness value chain from field to market. The ripple effects of the decision, however, are expected to extend well beyond Burkina Faso’s borders. Countries that have relied on Burkinabè tomato imports may find themselves navigating supply disruptions, while traders on both sides of the divide adjust to the new restrictions. Closer to home, the reception has been mixed. Local tomato producers have largely welcomed the ban as a long-overdue step toward empowering domestic agriculture. However, some traders and consumers have sounded a note of caution, raising concerns about the prospect of supply shortages and rising prices in the short term as the market finds its footing under the new regime. Ultimately, the success of the policy will hinge on Burkina Faso’s capacity to ramp up local production and ensure efficient distribution systems are in place to meet domestic demand. Authorities are expected to keep a close eye on developments, with the aim of ensuring the ban delivers on its promise without placing undue strain on everyday consumers. Source: Apexnewsgh.com
No Tomatoes, Big Trouble: How Burkina Faso’s Export Ban Is Squeezing Ghana
Walk into any Ghanaian kitchen and you will almost certainly find tomatoes. They are the backbone of soups, stews, and sauces, a quiet but indispensable pillar of daily life. Now, that pillar is under threat, and the consequences could ripple far beyond the kitchen. Ghana is grappling with renewed economic pressure after Burkina Faso indefinitely suspended fresh tomato exports to the country, a decision that has laid bare just how deeply Ghana depends on its northern neighbour for one of its most consumed agricultural commodities. Between 70 and 80 percent of Ghana’s tomato supply comes from Burkina Faso, a trade relationship valued at approximately $400 million annually. When that tap is turned off, the effects are swift and far-reaching. The issue came into sharp focus at the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, where Ghana’s Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, held bilateral talks with the Burkinabè Ambassador on the sidelines of the summit. The conversation was frank. The suspension, the Minister made clear, is not a minor inconvenience, it is a major economic concern. Madam Ofosu-Adjare warned that the disruption threatens far more than food supply. A prolonged shortage of tomatoes, she cautioned, could trigger price hikes, stoke inflationary pressures, and strain the budgets of ordinary Ghanaian households already navigating a difficult economic climate. Agro-processing businesses that depend on tomato supply would also feel the pinch, and livelihoods across the entire value chain hang in the balance. Burkina Faso, for its part, framed the suspension not as an act of hostility, but as a calculated industrial policy. The Burkinabè delegation explained that the export ban is designed to feed raw materials into newly established tomato processing factories at home, a strategy aimed at retaining value domestically and accelerating industrial growth. In short, Burkina Faso is doing what many developing nations aspire to do: processing its own produce rather than exporting it raw. For analysts watching the situation, the crisis is less a surprise and more a long-overdue wake-up call. Ghana’s heavy reliance on external sources for key agricultural commodities has always carried risk. The suspension, they argue, only makes the urgency more visible, and more costly. The country must invest seriously in irrigation infrastructure, boost local tomato production, and build out agro-processing capacity if it is to reduce its vulnerability to exactly these kinds of external shocks. Despite the tension, both countries left the Yaoundé talks with their diplomatic ties intact. They reaffirmed their commitment to strong bilateral relations and pledged to work toward a mutually beneficial resolution. Ghana is expected to intensify engagement with Burkina Faso while simultaneously exploring alternative supply sources and accelerating efforts to grow more at home. For Madam Ofosu-Adjare, the stakes could not be clearer. Resolving the impasse, she stressed, is not simply a matter of trade policy, it is about safeguarding Ghana’s economic stability and food security. The tomato is small. The problem it has revealed is not. Source: Apexnewsgh.com
BoG Unveils Six Pillars of Digital Defence
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has drawn a bold line in the sand against the rising tide of cyber threats, introducing six strategic pillars that form the backbone of its revised Cyber and Information Security Directive (CISD 2026), a sweeping framework designed to forge a safer and more resilient digital financial sector. At the official launch of the directive, Governor Dr. Johnson Asiama made clear that the stakes go far beyond regulation. “A Safer and More Resilient Digital Financial Industry,” he declared, “is the central pillar of our regulatory philosophy.” For him, the CISD 2026 is more than a policy document; it is a solemn commitment to every individual and business that entrusts their financial data to Ghana’s financial ecosystem. The Governor did not mince words about the dangers lurking in the shadows of the digital economy. He warned that the very progress driving Ghana’s financial sector forward has also opened the door to increasingly sophisticated and persistent threats. “From ransomware attacks that can paralyse a bank for days, to systemic data breaches that can shatter public trust in an instant,” Dr. Asiama cautioned, “the threats we face are no longer just isolated IT incidents; they are national security concerns.” Acknowledging that the Bank of Ghana saw this shift coming, he pointed to the first Directive issued in 2018 as a necessary but now insufficient foundation. “We must be honest,” he said candidly, “a framework designed for the challenges of 2018 cannot adequately solve the problems of 2026.” The time had come, he stressed, to move beyond simple compliance and embrace a posture of active and collective cyber resilience. Six Pillars, One Vision To meet this moment, the CISD 2026 is built around six transformative pillars, each targeting a critical dimension of cybersecurity in the financial sector: AI and Machine Learning Governance As financial institutions lean more heavily on artificial intelligence for fraud detection, credit scoring, and customer service, the directive steps in to ensure these tools operate with transparency, fairness, and security, guarding against the risks that come with algorithmic decision-making. Cloud Computing Security Recognising the rapid shift toward cloud technologies, the directive promotes responsible, risk-based cloud adoption while firmly protecting data sovereignty over sensitive financial information. Proportionality Framework Not every institution faces the same risks or commands the same resources. This pillar tailors cybersecurity requirements to the size and risk profile of each institution, ensuring that smaller banks and fintechs are not crushed under the weight of disproportionate compliance demands. Board-Level Accountability Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT department conversation. The directive mandates that at least one board member possess verified cyber risk expertise, embedding security thinking at the very top of institutional leadership. Inclusive Oversight Ghana’s cyber defences are only as strong as their weakest link. By expanding the directive’s coverage beyond universal banks to include micro-finance institutions, savings and loans companies, fintechs, and partner regulators, the CISD 2026 creates a unified, sector-wide shield against cyber threats. Proactive Defence and Preparedness Rather than waiting for attacks to happen, this pillar pushes institutions to anticipate, prevent, and respond swiftly to evolving threats — shifting the culture from reactive damage control to proactive resilience. Building and sustaining this level of cyber defence does not come cheap. Governor Asiama acknowledged the significant investment required in infrastructure, advanced technology, and most critically, highly skilled personnel. As the Sectoral CERT, the Bank of Ghana has shouldered the initial cost of establishing the Financial Industry Cyber Security Operations Centre (FICSOC), a critical piece of national infrastructure that underpins the entire framework. With the CISD 2026 now in motion, Ghana’s financial sector stands at the threshold of a new era, one defined not by fear of cyber threats but by the confidence and capability to face them head-on. Source: Apexnewsgh.com
Ghana’s Electronic Toll System Set for Q4 2026 Launch as Parliament Moves to Plug Revenue Gap
Ghana is on the verge of turning a significant page in its road infrastructure story. The Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament has confirmed that the country’s long-awaited electronic road toll system will be up and running by the fourth quarter of 2026, a development that promises to restore a vital stream of funding for road maintenance and development. The announcement came on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Accra, where Isaac Adjei Mensah, Chairman of the Committee and Member of Parliament for Wassa East, addressed the Parliamentary Press Corps. His remarks came in direct response to concerns raised earlier in the week by the Minority Caucus, which had questioned the pace at which the toll system was being rolled out. “All feasibility studies and preparatory processes will soon be finalised,” Mr. Adjei Mensah said, projecting confidence that the implementation timeline was firmly on track. But the Chairman did not stop at reassurance; he went on the offensive. Pushing back sharply against the Minority’s criticism, he argued that those who abolished the toll system in the first place had little standing to question the speed of its restoration. “The Minority has no moral justification to criticise the pace of this policy,” he said pointedly. His remarks carried the weight of hard numbers. Before the tolls were scrapped under the previous administration, they were generating approximately GH¢60 million every month for the state — a substantial and consistent revenue flow that vanished overnight with their abolition. The resulting gap, Mr Adjei Mensah stressed, had left Ghana’s road maintenance infrastructure starved of funding, with deteriorating roads and stalled projects bearing the consequences. “The abolition of the tolls led to substantial revenue losses,” he said, framing the electronic system not as a new policy experiment, but as a necessary correction — one designed to close the gap and rebuild the country’s capacity to maintain and expand its road network. The electronic format, he explained, is a deliberate upgrade. It will bring efficiency and transparency to the revenue collection process, replacing the vulnerabilities of manual toll collection with a modern, accountable system. “This system will ensure efficiency in collection while restoring a reliable revenue stream for road infrastructure development,” the Chairman said. Beyond the toll system, the Committee used the occasion to address a broader range of infrastructure concerns. On the government’s “Big Push” initiative, Mr. Adjei Mensah moved to clarify questions surrounding contract awards, noting that only 44 percent of the 400 contracts under the programme were awarded through sole sourcing, with the majority going through competitive bidding processes. The session also touched on several other critical projects and policy directions, among them, progress on the Boankra Inland Port, the status of the Mpakadan Railway System, government plans to restructure the Road Fund into a Road Maintenance Trust Fund, and the partial payment of GH¢107 billion in outstanding road arrears. Taken together, the disclosures painted a picture of an administration working to untangle years of infrastructure debt while laying the groundwork for more sustainable, transparent, and efficient systems. With Q4 2026 now firmly in view, Ghana’s roads and the funds needed to keep them in shape may soon be on a more reliable footing. Source: Apexnewsgh.com