Road Toll Digitalisation Is Akufo-Addo Govt’s Idea – Asenso Boakye

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is claiming credit for the road toll digitalization agenda announced by President John Dramani Mahama.

According to Former Minister for Roads, Francis Asenso Boakye, the idea was conceived, structured, and set in motion by the erstwhile NPP government.

“While we respect every administration’s right to choose its procurement approach, and recognizing the fact that every procurement method has its merits and limitations, we strongly object to any attempt to claim credit for an initiative that was already in motion,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

He explained that the idea was conceived after the traditional toll collection mode was discovered to be fraught with loopholes.

The MP for Bantama Constituency said this was a modern, technology-driven solution which got cabinet approval in 2024.

“To ensure efficient execution and minimize bureaucratic inefficiencies, the Ministry adopted a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model under the Public-Private Partnership Act, 2020 (Act 1039). The approach was through an unsolicited proposal, which underwent a process including Initial Business Case development; Comprehensive Feasibility Assessment; and Sector-wide evaluation and competitive procurement procedures.

He furthered that the process led to the selection of an indigenous Ghanaian company as the concessionaire with a detailed Concessions Agreement prepared and submitted to the 7th Parliament for approval.

“Regrettably, due to time constraints at the close of that parliamentary term, the agreement could not be finalized,” he said claiming the new administration had chosen to truncate it.

“The current Minister has since announced plans to reopen the process to other entities.”

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini