Parliament has approved a landmark concession agreement between the Ministry of Roads and Highways and a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to be set up by Rock Africa Limited, setting the stage for the reintroduction of road and bridge tolls through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework.
The agreement is designed to attract private sector investment for the financing, deployment, operation, and maintenance of a nationwide electronic toll collection system. The new system aims to improve revenue generation for road infrastructure projects and enhance the efficiency of toll collection.
Parliamentary approval followed a debate on the report by the Roads and Transportation Committee, with discussions centering on the decision to reinstate tolls, which were abolished in 2021. During the debate, Bimbilla MP Dominic Nitiwul defended the previous Akufo-Addo administration’s move to suspend road tolls, explaining that it was intended to ease the financial burden on Ghanaians as the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) was introduced and to address traffic congestion caused by manual toll booths.
Despite his defense of the earlier policy, Nitiwul expressed strong support for the proposed electronic tolling regime, describing it as a more efficient and convenient alternative to the old system. He highlighted that the technology-driven approach would eliminate long queues at toll plazas, offer a better experience for motorists, and provide a sustainable funding source for maintaining and developing the country’s road network.
Nitiwul urged fellow MPs to support the concession agreement, expressing confidence that the electronic tolling system would significantly boost road maintenance and infrastructure development nationwide.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com