Privatisation road toll leads to higher returns

The privatisation of toll collection on the Kumasi-Sunyani, Kumasi-Mampong-Ejura roads and the Accra-Tema Motorway on trial basis yielded significant revenue growth.

Toll collection on the Motorway jumped up by 25 per cent last year, moving from a monthly revenue of 279 million cedis to 396.5 million cedis a month during the trial period. Mr Francis Digber, Roads Engineer, told the GNA in Accra that collection of tolls on other roads would subsequently be privatised.

The decision to privatise the collection of tolls was taken after traffic counts on 10 toll roads showed that revenue collection was on the lower side. Five more roads on which tolls should be collected had been identified and sent to Parliament for approval. He did not name the roads.

The advantages of the privatisation exercise, Mr Digber said, was for the private company to supply and install the toll collection equipment, improve collection, maintain the facilities and pay revenue one month in advance.

He said hitherto, all government and some private vehicles did not pay tolls, which resulted in lower revenue. But the new Act passed in 1999 exempts only vehicles used by the military, police, Fire Service, prisons, Red Cross, government and mission hospital ambulances and diplomatic missions.

The Ghana Road Fund Secretariat was currently evaluating tenders for toll collection on three roads Kumasi-Sunyani, Kumasi-Mampong and the Tema-Motorway where the agreement with the contractors had expired, Mr Digber said.

Those for the Sunyani-Dormaa-Ahenkro, Kintampo-Tamale-Bolgatanga and the Tema-Akosombo roads were also being evaluated. In the interim Ghana Highway Authority staff would continue to collect tolls pending privatisation.

Mr Digber said factors considered for a company to secure a contract included banking procedures and security and increased revenue. The intention of the Fund was to toll all trunk roads but they would first have to be improved from their current poor or fair state to good conditions.

He said it was important for road users to understand that they must be prepared to pay more to continue to enjoy good quality roads.