The National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) has disclosed that it has failed to meet its targeted toll collection revenue for the year 2020 by about 5% due to the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the general business environment.
NRFA Public Relations Manager Alphonsius Hamachila said the agency collected K1.551 billion compared to the K1.641 billion budgeted collection as the negative impacts of the corona virus at country and regional levels reduced processed traffic volumes.
Hamachila however noted that there was a 28% increase in toll revenue collection in the year 2020 compared to 2019 when K1.212 billion was collected and this is mainly because of the commissioning of new toll stations.
He said last year the agency completed and commissioned five inland toll stations which include Mibenge in Samfya, George Kunda in Mkushi, Alexander Grey Zulu in Nyimba, Reuben Chitandika Kamanga in Katete and Kebby Musokotwane in Livingstone.
He also said the commissioning of these toll stations created about 105 direct jobs with toll collectors recruited from the respective provinces.
He mentioned that tolling operations stopped at Kapiri Mposhi and Livingstone weighbridge when the George Kunda and Kebby Musokotwane respectively were officially commissioned adding that the Kazungula weighbridge which was also a toll collection point was closed for periodic maintenance which meant that there were no tolling operations from weighbridges as at the end of the year.
He noted that the total number of operational collection points as at the close of 2020 was 36, comprising of 26 inland toll stations and 10 port of entry stations.
According to information made available to Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Hamachila said the implementation of the Statutory Instrument (SI) 74 of 2020, which provides for collection of tolls at inland toll stations from foreign registered vehicles contributed to the increase of toll revenue.
He added that the immediate revenue impact of SI 74 has been an increase in toll revenue of about K20 million per month. He stated that a total of 15,826,406 vehicle passages at inland toll stations were processed last year compared to 14, 125, 277 passages in 2019.
Hamachila noted that the electronic toll card payment system has continued to register growth over the years adding that during the period January-December 2020, K167 million in tolls revenue was collected using this cashless system representing 25% of the total inland collections for the period. He added that this was an increase from 2019 when the agency collected K116 million through the platform.
He further said that when collected, road tolls are put together with other revenues from fuel levy and other road user charges and disbursed for all road projects and related activities across the country. Hamachila said this during a tour of Reuben Chitandika Kamanga toll gate.
