The Finance minister-designate Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has come under intense scrutiny due to his seemingly contradictory statements and remarks regarding the reintroduction of road tolls.

In November 2021, the Akufo-Addo administration canceled the collection of road and bridge tolls, mentioning traffic congestion at tolling points as one of the reasons for the decision.

Following the development, Ato Forson who was the Minority Leader then expressed his support for the removal of road tolls during an interview on JoyNews in November 2021

He further praised the government's decision, stating that, in his view, the toll collection was not worthwhile. He explained that the revenue generated was insignificant compared to the money spent on fuel due to the traffic congestion caused by the tolls.

“The revenue loss will be about GH¢72million and it is not that big. I have always said that road tolls out there should be removed because the amount of money in terms of fuel that we burn in the traffic as against the revenue the government gets, I don’t think it’s worthwhile. I think it is something I will say all of us are expecting, it is right that they have taken the decision and I will commend them,” he said.

However, addressing the Appointments Committee of Parliament during the ministerial vetting on January 13, 2025, Ato Forson announced the government’s plan to reintroduce road tolls in the country.

According to him, it is only fair for those who use the road to pay a toll for its maintenance, noting that this is a practice followed worldwide. He emphasised the importance of contributing to road maintenance and suggested that the toll collection should be done in an effective and efficient manner.

Ato Forson reaffirming the NDC government's promise to bring back the tolls said, “The previous government indeed removed the road toll, but towards the end, they signaled that the road toll is coming back. They submitted it to Parliament, but it was not laid despite a concession agreement with a company to reintroduce it. The NDC indicated from day one that the road toll will come back.

“We are not running away from it. So, I can assure you we are a party that sticks to our promises. And whatever we have promised to do, we will do just that. If the road toll is a way to raise revenue, we will raise the revenue.”

He added, “If you use the road, you have to pay a toll and its all over the world. Ghana won’t be the first country and won’t be the last one. We have to contribute towards the road maintenance and so the only thing is we have to collect the revenue effectively and efficiently so that we can plow it towards the maintenance of those roads,” he stated.

His statement during the ministerial vetting appears to conflict with his previous support for the cancellation of the tolls.



Watch Ato Forson's statement on the road tolls during ministerial vetting



MAG/EK