We Exist And Are Still Expectant – Toll Workers Tell Gov’t After 2 Years Of Deprived Livelihood

Toll workers have registered their displeasure about the unwillingness of the government to re-introduce the collection of tolls in the country.

In 2021, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, scraped the collection of road and ferry tolls across all 38 toll booths, rendering hundreds of toll workers jobless.

In a press release jointly signed by leaders of the association dated November 13, 2023, the group said: “It will be recalled that on the 17th of November, 2021, after the presentation of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, the Ministry of Roads and Highways illegally scraped the collection of Road and Ferry Tolls in Ghana and successfully inked about 800 of us (toll workers) onto the growing list of unemployed youths in the country”.

“Our shock and woes were somehow soothed by the promises which accompanied the reading of the budget statement by the Hon. Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta – that all the toll workers will be re-assigned to other jobs”.

“This promise was reiterated by Hon. Habib Iddrisu when he received, on behalf of the majority in parliament, a petition we delivered to parliament on 30/12/2021. He further promised that the Government would pay us a monthly allowance to sustain us until we are re-assigned”.

“This promise was further confirmed by the Hon. Minister for Roads and Highways on the many occasions we had the opportunity to meet him and his team to discuss our welfare as Toll Booth Workers”.

“It is, however, very sad to state that two years after the Government took away our livelihood and right to live a dignified life, none of the promises it made to us have been fulfilled, despite all the pleas we have made on the many occasions we’ve engaged the relevant authorities including Chief Directors, Heads of Departments and The Hon Minister for Roads and Highways Kwesi Amoako Atta”.

“It is surprising and difficult for us to understand why our government is treating us this way, especially when the cessation was through no fault of ours”.

“We want the Government to know that we exist and are still expectant. We further ask our Government to respectfully honour its word and bring closure to this stalemate because the situation has become extremely unbearable for us”.

On Wednesday, November 15, the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, is expected to present the 2024 national budget in parliament, and the toll workers are appealing to the government to factor them into the national budget.