By Grace Zigah
President John Dramani Mahama’s announcement of a fully automated road toll collection system has sparked widespread praise as part of his administration’s broader digitalization agenda.
The initiative, outlined in the 2025 Economic Policy and Budget Statement, represents a significant shift from the country’s traditional tollbooth model to a modern, technology-driven approach to revenue collection.
Addressing the public over the weekend, President Mahama confirmed that his government is in the final stages of rolling out a digital tolling system that will link every vehicle to its owner’s Ghana Card.
This integration will allow toll fees to be charged directly to mobile money wallets or bank accounts, eliminating the need for physical toll booths and manual payments.
“We said in the budget that we were going to reintroduce road tolls, and so they’ve been talking about what the modalities should be and all that,” Mahama said.
“But the good thing today is every car is linked to the owner’s Ghana Card, and so we don’t need to have the old toll gates and those cards that you stand and open and all that.”
The new system is designed to simplify toll collection while boosting compliance and reducing inefficiencies associated with the manual system.
According to the President, toll charges will be minimal—just GHS 1 per crossing—and collected digitally through license plate recognition technology and automatic billing.
“We will just go straight digital,” Mahama continued.
“If you cross the East Legon bridge, the governor and finance minister will all be happy. We will just take a picture of your car, then we will take the bill to your MoMo or bank account and just pay GHS 1—only GHS 1.”
The move is part of the Mahama administration’s broader commitment to leveraging technology to enhance governance and public service delivery.
Historically, Ghana’s road toll collection system has been marred by inefficiencies, revenue leakages, and congestion at tollbooths.
The manual system also required significant manpower and led to long queues, especially on busy routes like the Accra-Tema motorway.
In 2021, the government of the day scrapped tolls altogether, citing traffic disruptions and low revenue returns—a move that was heavily criticized by stakeholders and economists.
The Mahama-led government’s decision to reintroduce tolls—but in a more technologically efficient manner—marks a shift toward sustainable infrastructure financing.
The use of the Ghana Card as a centralized identification tool is also seen as a strategic way to integrate national data systems and reduce fraud.
Consultations are currently ongoing to finalize the operational aspects of the system, including vendor partnerships, data protection protocols, and system architecture.
If successful, Ghana would join a growing list of countries across Africa adopting smart infrastructure solutions to modernize public services.
