President John Dramani Mahama has proposed a complete overhaul of Ghana’s road toll system, urging a shift from physical tollbooths to a fully digital tolling infrastructure integrated with the Ghana Card.
Speaking at the 9th Ghana CEO Summit in Accra, President Mahama argued that the country’s current level of technological advancement makes the traditional toll system obsolete. He pointed to the national identity database, which already links every registered vehicle to an individual’s Ghana Card, as the backbone for implementing a more efficient tolling framework.
“The good thing today is that every car is linked to the owner’s Ghana Card. We don’t need to have the old toll gates and those cards that you stand and open and all that. We will just go straight to digitalise,” he stated.
The former President proposed that cameras installed at toll points could automatically capture vehicles as they cross, allowing for real-time billing. Charges would then be deducted directly from the motorist’s mobile money wallet or bank account.
“If it’s 1 cedi, if you cross the East Legon bridge, a picture of your car is taken and a bill will be sent to you,” he explained. “Deductions can then be made through your mobile money or your bank account.”
The system, he suggested, would not only remove the need for manual toll collectors but also address the longstanding problem of traffic congestion at toll stations. According to Mr Mahama, such a transformation could increase revenue transparency, improve road-user convenience, and eliminate leakages in toll collection.
His remarks come at a time when his government is considering the reintroduction of road tolls, following their controversial suspension in 2021. The President’s proposal offers a tech-forward alternative to the previous system, which was criticised for inefficiency and poor infrastructure maintenance.
The call for digitisation resonated with the broader theme of the summit: “Leading Ghana’s Economic Reset: Transforming Business and Governance for a Sustainable Futuristic Economy.” Business leaders and policy-makers gathered to explore solutions that drive economic recovery and innovation in governance.
Highlighting the potential of existing digital tools, the President framed the tolling proposal as a natural progression in Ghana’s digital journey. He pointed to how the Ghana Card has already been integrated with services like tax registration, SIM card validation, and driver’s licences.
In an era where digital payments and identity verification are rapidly gaining ground, President Mahama’s pitch struck a chord with calls for governance that keeps pace with the private sector’s digital evolution.
While the proposal marks a bold vision, it will require cross-sector coordination between the National Identification Authority, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, telecommunications providers, and financial institutions.
If implemented, the digital toll system would signal a major shift in how Ghanaians interact with road infrastructure, potentially turning Ghana into one of the few African nations operating a national tolling model powered by biometric and digital identification.
