RE: Stop whining about bad roads; just pay your tolls - Anthony Karbo

Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways Anthony Abayifaa Karbo has denied making proclamations suggesting that Ghanaians should quit whining about the poor state of roads in the country and rather pay the mandatory tolls as obligated in order to fix and maintain the roads.

In an earlier publication on www.ghanaweb.com, the Member of Parliament for Lawra was quoted as stating on Citi FM’s breakfast show that “This is a discussion we should have in this country and support government to find new mechanisms, new ways of road financing because if you look at other countries, what is going on in the world now, and road users are paying for the roads, look at what is happening in America, all the roads you see in South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, are roads users are paying for….the real challenge we are having in this country is that people feel that we are paying for bad roads because everyone is whining, the motorway is not good, its deteriorating and yet we are paying tolls".

But Mr. Karbo has noted that the headline for the publication was misleading and further explained that “what I spoke to at length was the difficulties with road financing currently faced by Government, the need to have an open and frank discussion about financing options as a nation as well as the delicate nature of the issue due to the belief among some sections of the Ghanaian public that for some time now road tolls have not been properly utilized.”

He also stated that “it would have been disrespectful of me to suggest that Ghanaians stop whining about bad roads and that certainly is not and has never been my nature as a politician or a person.”

Read the full statement below

My attention has been drawn to a publication on Ghanaweb.com with the above title.

I wish to refute the erroneous impression created by that publication, in particular, the headline, as misleading.

Nowhere in my interview on the 11th of December 2017 on Citi FM did I say or suggest that Ghanaians should "stop whining about bad roads" rather, what I spoke to at length was the difficulties with road financing currently faced by Government, the need to have an open and frank discussion about financing options as a nation as well as the delicate nature of the issue due to the belief among some sections of the Ghanaian public that for some time now road tolls have not been properly utilized.

I then went on to suggest, as a means of addressing the challenges with road financing, a public-private partnership which includes the public assisting Government in financing major road projects.

It would have been disrespectful of me to suggest that Ghanaians stop whining about bad roads and that certainly is not and has never been my nature as a politician or a person.

I do hope this rejoinder addresses the erroneous impression created and puts the matter to rest.

Thank you.

Anthony Abayifaa Karbo MP

Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways