The Ghana Charismatic Bishops’ Conference has suggested an increment in road tolls as an effective measure of raising revenue for various road projects.
The Conference in a communique signed by its General Secretary, Rev. Kwesi Deh, said road tolls should be raised to at least the level of USD1 per car across the country.
“Raise the tolls, at least to the level of USD1 per car. Even Zimbabwe, in its financial difficulty, charges $1 per car as toll rate. g. Create an office and let the local dwellers cast the concrete: Use the people that live in the towns and villages, along that stretch of road, to cast concrete along that stretch,” he said.
The Conference also called for the construction of what it called “international standard” toll booths whose revenue will also be used to directly finance road projects.
“Build the road network by using concrete roads. 10 inches of concrete can be cast, with the width of 3 lanes (12 meters wide), for several miles. The Tema motorway is an example of a concrete road that has served Ghana for decades…Let Ghanaian roads be covered with multiple international-standard tollbooths that do not cause traffic. These tollbooths will be used to directly finance roads. Perhaps, every 40 to 50km should have a tollbooth,” it said.
The construction of these toll booths, according to the Conference, can effectively be done by naming a tollbooth by “the stretch of road that it is to finance.”
“For instance, several toll booths can be created on the Accra – Kumasi Highway as follows: Achimota – Nsawam toll booth (approx. 28.2km); Nsawam – Suhum toll booth (approx. 30km); Suhum – Nkawkaw toll booth (approx. 77km); Nkawkaw –Konongo toll booth (81.4km); Konongo to Tech Junction toll booth (77km).”
The Conference believes the efficient management of these tollbooths will encourage Ghanaians to pay more for road tolls.
“Demonstrate a competent management of the tolls received from the different tollbooths. We have had toll booths like the Tema, Beposo and Weija toll booths. When people see the tolls well-managed, they will be prepared to pay even more.”
The Ghana Charismatic Bishops’ Conference which was founded by the Founder of Lighthouse Chapel International, Bishop Dag Heward Mills, and is chaired by Bishop Kwame Yirenkyi Ampofo, is made up of senior clergy who have been consecrated as Bishops.
The Conference has Bishops with their seats, comprising of a cathedral, and an office block in every region of Ghana.
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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