Roads Minister instructed to reverse suspension of road tolls

Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, has been instructed by the Speaker of Parliament to reverse his decision to suspend the collection of road tolls at the various collection points in the country.

According to the Speaker, the Minister should have sought parliamentary approval or waited for the 2022 Budget to be approved before suspending the collection of road tolls.

I direct that the Minister of Roads has no such authority to issue a directive stopping the cessation of the collection of the road tolls –what is before us is a policy proposal and until we approve it, it cannot be implemented,” said the Speaker.

The Speaker’s directive follows a statement by the Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Tamale North Constituency, Haruna Iddrisu, who questioned the rationale behind the Minister of Roads and Highways decision to suspend road tolls without recourse to Parliament.

According to him, the Minister is not clothed with any such powers to determine fees and charges and therefore cannot arbitrarily announce the suspension of road tolls on the back of the Budget presentation.

The Minority Leader raised the issue on the Floor of Parliament on Thursday, November 18, 2021.

The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, in the presentation of the Government’s Economic Policy for the year 2022 on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 indicated that all road tolls will be abolished to ease traffic on the roads.

Subsequent to the policy proposal by the government which is expected to take effect from January 2022, a press release has been circulated under the signature of the Road Minister, directing that all road tolls be suspended with effect from November 18, 2021.

According to the Minority Leader, Ghanaians should ignore the directive of the Roads and Highways Minister because it has no standing in law.

Contributing to the statement on the Floor, the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea pleaded with the House to give the Minister the benefit of the doubt because it could be an administrative error.

The MP for Adaklu, Governs Kwame Agbodza on his part indicated that the Minister should be made to rescind his decision with immediate effect.

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