215 persons with disability to operate tollbooths
About 214 persons with disability (PWDs) will be recruited as toll collectors at the various tollbooths across the country by July this year. The move is in line with the government’s initiative to give 50 per cent of employment opportunities at the toll centres to PWDs.
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The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwesi Amoako-Atta, who made this known in Accra yesterday, said 428 toll collectors were expected to be recruited to take charge of revenue collection at the 35 tollbooths across the country.
Visit
The minister made the disclosure when he led a delegation from the ministry on a working visit to the Accra Rehabilitation Centre, where he met the management of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFID).
The visit was meant to interact with the PWDs in order to be abreast of the challenges they faced and to assure them of the government’s commitment to implement policies that would have a positive impact on PWDs.
Collaboration
Mr Amoako-Atta said the government would collaborate with the leadership of the PWDs to roll out modalities that would ensure that the right people were recruited.
“We will put in place the right measures, including local content principles, to make sure that PWDs who meet the basic requirements are recruited.
“But, when you are recruited, we expect that you will be accountable in handling revenue that is generated because that is what will go into the Road Fund, which will subsequently be used to provide disability-friendly roads for PWDs,” he said.
Plans
The Tolls Manager at the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Mr Samuel Torgbor, who was part of the delegation, said plans were advanced to install point-of-sale devices at all tollbooths as a measure to facilitate revenue mobilisation.
According to him, seven modern tollbooths would soon be established at strategic locations to enhance effective revenue collection.
“We are also working to improve on the operations of the existing tollbooths by making sure that the remaining 31 that operate manually are automated,” he added.
In line with the digital drive, he said, steps would be taken to ensure that PWDs who would be recruited to work at the tollbooths would be educated on how to operate the digital system.
Mr Torgbor added that the premises of toll collection centres would be made disability friendly to facilitate the work of PWDs.
