Ghana's Parliament has approved the return of road and bridge tolls — this time through a fully automated, electronic collection system — ending a debate that has simmered since the manual toll regime was scrapped in November 2021.
The approval covers a 20-year Public-Private Partnership (PPP) concession between the Ministry of Roads and Highways and a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to be established by Rock Africa Limited. The deal sets the legal framework for the private sector to finance, design, operate, and maintain a nationwide digital tolling network.
What the Deal Actually Means
Under the arrangement, motorists will not stop at toll booths. Vehicles will pass through automated points, receive a beep, and be billed at the end of the month — a model already operational in South Africa. The government says this will eliminate the long queues and revenue leakages that plagued the old manual system.
Parliament cleared the concession after its Roads and Transportation Committee tabled its report for debate. Lawmakers weighed in on both sides of the argument before backing the deal.
Nitiwul Defends the 2021 Abolition — Then Backs the New Deal
One of the more notable contributions came from Dominic Nitiwul, Member of Parliament for Bimbilla and former Minister for Defence, who defended the previous administration's decision to scrap tolls while simultaneously endorsing the new electronic approach.
Nitiwul explained that the 2021 abolition was a deliberate policy choice tied to the rollout of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy), which was introduced around the same time.
"We abolished the road tolls for one simple reason. We did not want to burden Ghanaians with both the e-levy and the road tolls. Basically, that was the reason." — Dominic Nitiwul, MP for Bimbilla
He drew a direct comparison to South Africa's electronic tolling model to make his case for the new system, arguing that the technology addresses the core complaints about the old regime.
"If it is electronic and it is 20 years, I think it is a good deal that Ghanaians should take. Because you will not even realise that there are road tolls. You pass, there will be a beep, and then you go; at the end of the month, they bring you a bill, and then you pay." — Dominic Nitiwul
Nitiwul subsequently urged Parliament to back the concession, framing it as a practical mechanism for generating sustainable financing for Ghana's road infrastructure.
The Case for Going Digital
The government's core argument is straightforward: the old manual system was leaking revenue and choking traffic on major highways. A digital platform, officials say, will close those gaps and provide a more reliable funding stream for road maintenance and expansion.
The shift also aligns with a broader push across Africa to move public services onto digital rails — something technology adoption trends on the continent have been accelerating. Electronic tolling removes the cash-handling chain that made the old system vulnerable to under-reporting and petty corruption.
What Comes Next
Rock Africa Limited must now establish the Special Purpose Vehicle stipulated in the concession before deployment of the tolling infrastructure can begin. No timeline for the first electronic toll points going live has been publicly announced yet.
The Ministry of Roads and Highways will be the government counterpart in the agreement, overseeing the rollout of what is expected to become a nationwide automated network. How quickly that network scales — and which roads get priority — will be the next set of questions Ghanaians will be watching closely.