Parliament has approved a concession agreement between the Ministry of Roads and Highways and a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to be incorporated by Rock Africa Limited for the reintroduction of road and bridge tolls through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

The agreement paves the way for private sector participation in financing, developing, operating and maintaining a nationwide electronic tolling system.

The approval followed debate on the report of Parliament's Roads and Transportation Committee, with Members of Parliament discussing the return of road tolls, which were abolished in 2021.

During the debate, Member of Parliament for Bimbilla and former Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, defended the previous Akufo-Addo administration's decision to abolish road tolls, explaining that the move was intended to ease the financial burden on Ghanaians at a time when the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) had been introduced.

He said the government also wanted to eliminate the long queues motorists experienced at toll booths. "

We abolished the road tolls for one simple reason. We did not want to burden Ghanaians with both the e-levy and the road tolls. Basically, that was the reason," he said.

Despite defending the earlier decision, Mr Nitiwul expressed support for the reintroduction of tolls under an electronic system, saying the proposed model would be more efficient and convenient for motorists.

Drawing comparisons with South Africa's electronic tolling system, he said drivers would no longer have to stop at toll booths, as payments could be processed automatically.

"If it's electronic and it's 20 years, I think it's a good deal that Ghanaians should take. Because you will not even realise that there are road tolls. You pass, there will be a beep, and then you go; at the end of the month, they bring you a bill, and then you pay," he stated.

Mr Nitiwul urged Parliament to support the concession agreement, arguing that an electronic tolling system would provide a more effective and sustainable means of mobilising revenue for road infrastructure while improving convenience for road users.