Former Minister for Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso Boakye, has pushed back against claims that President John Mahama’s proposal to reintroduce road tolls through a cashless, digital system is a groundbreaking initiative.

According to him, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration had already set the foundation for such a system well before Mahama’s return to office.

At the 9th Ghana CEO Summit and Awards Expo on May 26, President Mahama announced his government’s intention to reintroduce road tolls in a modern, digital format that eliminates traditional toll booths.

The new system will integrate vehicle ownership data with the Ghana Card, allowing for automatic billing and mobile money payments—part of a broader digital governance strategy.

However, in a Facebook post on May 27, Mr. Asenso Boakye clarified that the concept and groundwork for digitizing road tolls were initiated by the NPP during his time as minister.

“In 2021, the NPP administration made the bold decision to suspend manual toll collection,” he wrote, citing four main issues behind the decision: low revenue generation, traffic congestion, high vehicle operating costs, and widespread revenue leakages.

He noted that the government had already developed a comprehensive digital toll collection strategy, with Cabinet approval for implementation in 2024. The plan was structured under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in accordance with Act 1039.

An indigenous Ghanaian company had been competitively selected as the concessionaire, feasibility studies were completed, and a Concession Agreement was drafted and submitted to Parliament. However, the agreement was not passed before the end of the legislative term.

Mr. Asenso Boakye criticized the Mahama administration for abandoning the existing process and for presenting the digital toll system as a novel idea.

“While any government is entitled to its preferred procurement approach, it is misleading to present this initiative as entirely new,” he stated. “The digital toll collection system was conceived, developed, and prepared for rollout under the NPP.”

He called for greater policy continuity and urged the current government to focus on building upon existing efforts rather than rebranding them for political gain.

“Ghanaians deserve leadership that builds on existing progress, not one that repackages the efforts of others as original ideas,” he concluded.