The Ministry of Roads and Highways has explained that the government has not reinstated toll collection across the country as reported in some sections of the media.
A statement from the Ministry of Roads and Highways to clarify the Finance Minister’s statement on the collection of Road tolls in the mid-year budget said the Minister’s reference to road tolls was in respect of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) roads and not all roads across the country.
“The Ministry wishes to state categorically that the government has not reinstated toll collection across the country. We further wish to clarify that the finance minister’s reference to tolls in the budget review was in respect to PPP road projects only,” the same emphasized.
It said the Minister’s comment in that regard was emphatic to the financing arrangements for the Accra-Tema Motorway and Extension Project which stated that the road would be tolled after completion to recoup the cost.
“The Ministry wishes to state for the avoidance of doubt that, the Finance Minister while speaking about the financing arrangements for the Accra-Tema Motorway and the Extension project stated that, “when completed, the CA (Concessional Agreement) is expected to be approved by the PPP committee, Cabinet and Parliament. The completed road will be tolled to recover the whole life cost of the completed infrastructure as well as pay lenders and provide a return for equity investors,” the statement added.
The Ministry assured the public that the government would continue to use innovative means to finance road projects across the country.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
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