Vice President of IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil, has strongly criticized the use of toll booths as an inefficient and costly method of revenue collection.

His remarks follow a statement by Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Finance Minister-designate, who promised to reinstate toll collection across the country.

In a Facebook post on January 14, 2025, Bentil questioned the logic behind the toll collection system, citing the significant time and resources spent at toll booths for minimal returns.

“It doesn’t make sense to waste time and stress for an hour just to pay GH¢1,” he stated, emphasising the disproportionate costs involved in maintaining the toll booths.

Bentil highlighted that the toll system has consistently proven to be an expensive means of collecting only a fraction of the funds it aims to generate.

“As usual, we will be penny wise and pound foolish,” he remarked, urging the government to reconsider its approach to infrastructure funding.

Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, also contributed to the discussion, offering a potential solution to the inefficiencies of the toll collection system.

In the same post, Cudjoe suggested, “Increase it and make it electronic. No one queues then, or?”

Cudjoe’s proposal for an electronic tolling system aims to reduce congestion and streamline the payment process, aligning with Bentil’s call to modernize the system.

Bentil offered two alternatives saying, “There are two ways – collect them as part of licensing fees or use electronic systems, so there is no stopping.”

This criticism comes after Dr. Ato Forson, nominated as Minister of Finance by President John Mahama, confirmed his intention to reinstate toll collection as part of a broader plan to boost government revenue.