Road tolls have to come back - Bawumia

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has called for a broadened road toll system to fund the development of the nation's road infrastructure.

Ghana abolished road tolls in 2022 in a bid to ease traffic congestion on major roads. The Vice President, who was touring the Volta Region, said a broadened reintroduction of the tolling regime would provide the needed revenue for infrastructure development.

Dr. Bawumia was responding to citizen concerns over the poor condition of roads at a meeting with the clergy in the Volta Region at the beginning of his tour.

He said the government lacked the funding to undertake infrastructure development and suggested that innovative means such as road tolling would provide a way out.

Dr. Bawumia added that the government's approach to road funding should be reconsidered and that the private sector could augment revenue from road tolls in providing the needed relief.

"Let us go back to a system of broad-based road tolls. The tolling system has to come back, and I think it will come back," he said.

"It is a fundamental mistake of the government to place all road projects on the budget. The government doesn't have enough money, and the private sector has to be brought in," Dr. Bawumia stated.

He said the private sector would provide a lease payment option to help provide the needed infrastructure for the nation, just as they did in powering the nation's digital agenda.

The Vice President outlined his vision for Ghana when elected president, saying he would expand agriculture, ensure power sufficiency, and reform the nation's tax regime.

He stressed the need to formally recognize the church for its role in national development and said it would be provided with the needed support.

Rev. Seth Mawutor, Chairman of the Christian Council in the Volta Region, said the peace of the nation must be safeguarded throughout the election period and that the Council would continue to provide the needed support.

The Vice President was in the company of the leadership of the NPP, including Mr. Stephen Ntim, National Chairman of the NPP, and Mr. Stephen Asamoah Boateng, the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.

Dr. Bawumia met with members of the Muslim community and the Volta Region House of Chiefs and would engage the youth at a forum at the Ho Technical University before moving to the Oti Region on Friday.