Open letter to Ghana’s Finance Minister Dr Mohammed Adam, about a needed highways component

Dear Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, Minister for Finance,

It’s intriguing that road tolling is making headlines in Ghana again, following the confirmation that the Government will be reintroducing road and bridge tolls next year. when you presented the 2024 mid-year budget review to Parliament on July 23, 2024.

I recall that the former Finance Minister Mr Ken Ofori-Atta had announced the reintroduction of the tolls in the 2023 budget; and at an August 7, 2024, engagement Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, too, had indicated the restoration.

Because of the possible impact of this news on a cause I have been championing over the years, it was of particular interest to me that your review included this assurance: funds collected from tolls will be “allocated towards critical infrastructure projects”.

Minister, my interest and hope is that the planned infrastructure projects can include what I have long campaigned for: rest stops, or washrooms; or, simple public places of convenience provided along Ghana’s highways, strategically located.

Although the news about the resumption was interesting, to me news of the provision of an essential component, public conveniences along the highways, was needed to complete the picture.

Of course our country is going through economically challenging times, meaning some things have to be on the back burner. But because of the plans you have indicated for the restoration of tolling, I’m encouraged to draw your attention to this matter too. Sanitation dignity on our highways surely counts as an essential need to be factored in.

If highways are to host toll booths again, I believe that the “critical infrastructure” will be mainly non-manual tolling systems to ensure that the funds generated will go into national coffers and not partly into private pockets – allegedly one of the reasons for the suspension of the manual toll booths collection, and from traffic delays.

Minister, in my opinion, it’s important to factor into the plans highway public conveniences, not only for the comfort of travellers, but also bearing in mind the national sanitation agenda. The absence of such facilities on Ghana’s highways is a glaring and unpardonable shortcoming.

Being a longtime campaigner on this issue, with the news of the reintroduction, my hope had been that there would be mention of providing conveniences along the highways.

Regrettably, Dr Adam, that was not part of your review.

Honourable, in your capacity as the MP for Karaga, Northern Region, which conceivably means that you sometimes travel home by road, I believe that you, too, can appreciate the plight of long-distance travellers on routes without toilets. I happen to know because my hometown, too, requires long hours on the highways.

As you’re no doubt aware, elsewhere, especially in the advanced countries, long distance road travel by public transport is made less stressful because the buses usually have WCs, not to mention rest stops on routes.

I recall that after the road tolls were suspended in November, 2021, the then Minister for Roads and Highways, Mr Kwasi Amoako-Attah, (MP, Atiwa West), had announced that “the Government will refurbish all those toll booth structures to provide proper and decent washrooms, for use by motorists.”

Unfortunately, Mr Amoako-Attah was unable to put his plans into action before his tenure at that ministry ended.

Honourable, recently I was vividly, and disturbingly, reminded of the need for highway public conveniences during a trip to Dormaa-Ahenkro (D-A), Bono Region.

From Accra, it’s a journey that takes one through Kumasi, Sunyani and Berekum.

I was a passenger in an STC Intercity Coaches Ltd night service on Wednesday, July 31 when in Sunyani a fellow passenger had need to use a toilet.

It had been early morning when we arrived at the STC terminal in Sunyani.

However, the WC there was locked – as usual. (It’s a situation I have observed on numerous occasions, and written about.) As I had overheard the gentleman’s anxious quest, I suggested that he should go to the office and ask for the key. But, he came back to say that there was nobody in the office.

We continued our journey, but fortunately for the gentleman clearly in distress, the driver happened to know of a fuel station on the Sunyani-Nsoatre road, some distance away, and stopped there for him to use their toilet.

Obviously if there had been basic conveniences, or a rest stop, between Kumasi and Sunyani, the gentleman would have been spared the embarrassment, and avoided the distressing disappointment by the Sunyani STC terminal management.

Minister, I have written countless times about the importance of having highway public conveniences, not only for the benefit of Ghanaian travellers but, crucially, a necessity for a country wooing tourists. Excerpts from some of the articles follow:

SEPTEMBER, 2016: Can Ghana boast of highway places of convenience? Toilets to which we can direct tourists, domestic or international without embarrassment, say, between Kumasi and Sunyani? Or between Sunyani and Tamale? Or between Winneba and Takoradi?

JUNE, 2017: Travellers on the Accra-Kumasi route were lucky that the Linda Dor Highway Rest Stop, at Bunso Junction, emerged on the scene years ago. Linda Dor has made the drive to Kumasi less stressful for those unable to keep mother nature in check until they get to their destination.

A couple of years ago, Linda Dor was joined by a similar facility close by and I wondered why that one could not have been sited farther away from Bunso Junction, to give travellers another washroom opportunity, if needed.

As it is, between Bunso Junction and Kumasi there is no similar facility. That is why travellers in need mostly go into the bushes, with all the danger which that entails, not to mention the environmental issues.

MARCH, 2023: I was among those who applauded the idea of converting the disused highway tollbooths into washrooms, because over the years I have been campaigning for the provision of such highway facilities.

At his stage of Ghana’s development, it can no longer be an option for travellers to resort to the bushes when nature calls!

The absence of places of convenience along Ghana’s highways, is a huge national image defect, notably for a country seriously courting international visitors. (END OF EXCERPTS.)

Finally, Minister, again I hope you will give positive consideration to my suggestion. The proposed highways public conveniences could be built in partnership with local authorities or the private sector; possibly with attendants in charge – thereby providing jobs for some of the locals.

And perhaps there could be a standard design, a prototype, approved by the Finance and Tourism ministries and other stakeholders for all the facilities to be constructed.

But I hasten to add that, hopefully, the urinals for women will be women-friendly. The sort of basic urinals for women at some public places in Ghana make it extremely awkward for women to use because they are constructed like men’s urinals. They forget that, if it’s not a WC, a woman’s simple urinal needs to be two ledges with a gutter in the middle.

Dr Amin, as I have stated, the issue of highway public convenience is one I have canvassed for many years.

Now I’m using the medium of this open letter to you to underscore the urgency of this seemingly minor yet critical subject. I hope it also attracts general interest because I believe it’s a matter not only about sanitation and the comfort of travellers, but also about the image of Ghana.

Yours sincerely,

AjoaYeboah-Afari