Former Roads and Highways Minister, Francis Asenso Boakye, has criticized President John Mahama for what he describes as a repackaging of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) digital toll collection initiative, claiming the move lacks originality.
Reacting to Mahama’s announcement at the 9th Ghana CEO Summit on May 26—where the President unveiled a new digital, cashless road toll system—Asenso Boakye argued that the groundwork for this system was already laid by the previous NPP administration.
In a detailed Facebook post on May 27, the former minister emphasized that the NPP had already suspended manual tolls in 2021 with the intent of transitioning to a more efficient digital model. He cited low revenue, congestion, and leakages as justification for the initial suspension and added that Cabinet had approved a digital tolling system as far back as 2023, slated for rollout in 2024.
“A local company had been competitively selected, a public-private partnership model was in place, and a Concession Agreement had even been sent to Parliament,” Boakye stated. “But the process was left hanging when Parliament was dissolved.”
He further criticized the current administration for not acknowledging these prior steps, cautioning against what he called “political repackaging” of legacy initiatives.
“While new governments are free to modify strategies, they must be transparent about the origins of the ideas they implement,” he said. “Leadership is about continuity, not rewriting history.”
The former minister’s remarks add fuel to an already polarized debate on infrastructure development and digital innovation, highlighting the political undercurrents that continue to shape public policy in Ghana.
