Roads Minister Mandates Digital Readiness for All New Projects | Discuss Ghana

On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Governs Kwame Agbodza, issued a directive to all road contractors and consultants to ensure that designs for new infrastructure projects are fully compatible with the nation's upcoming electronic tolling system.

The move is a core component of the "National Reset" of Ghana's infrastructure financing, aimed at restoring the Road Fund while eliminating the congestion and corruption associated with traditional manual toll booths.

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The "Digital First" Directive

The Minister’s directive requires a shift in how roads are planned and built in Ghana:

Collaboration with GHA: Contractors must work directly with the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) to integrate specialized infrastructure—such as sensors and high-speed camera gantries—into the geometric designs of new highways.

Third-Party Integration: A specialized third-party firm is currently being selected through a competitive bidding process to design the nationwide electronic platform. Contractors are tasked with ensuring their physical road layouts do not conflict with the technical requirements of this system.

Engineered Roads Only: Minister Agbodza emphasized that only "engineered and improved" roads will be subject to tolls, ensuring that citizens are only paying for high-quality, maintained surfaces.

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Timeline for Rollout

The government has set an ambitious target to have the system fully operational across major corridors by the end of the year:

Feasibility & Design: Nearly 90% of feasibility studies were confirmed complete as of March 26, 2026.

Public Sensitization: A nationwide education campaign is scheduled to begin in the third quarter once the technical operator is finalized.

Full Launch: The system is expected to go live in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2026.

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Economic Impact: Closing the Revenue Gap

The reintroduction of tolls in a digital format is designed to fix the "major gap in revenue" created when physical tolls were abolished years ago:

Metric	Detail
Previous Revenue	~GH₵60 Million per month.
New System Goal	Increased efficiency and transparency through cashless payments.
Funding Target	Road Maintenance Trust Fund (rebranded Road Fund).
Regional Alignment	Aligning with ECOWAS digital tolling standards.

"The future of Ghana’s roads will not be managed with manual tickets. We are building a system where technology ensures every cedi collected goes back into fixing the potholes that frustrate our drivers." — Hon. Governs Kwame Agbodza.