Today in History: Ministry of Transport initiates steps to regularize ‘Okada’ use

The ministry said the initiative is part of measures to improve local transportation on the country.

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The Ministry of Transport has undertaken a consultative engagement with a cross-section of Ghanaians to solicit views on the commercial use of motorcycles and tricycles in the country.

The move is to improve upon the sector, local transportation system and ensure accessibility to hard-to-reach communities across the length and breadth of the country.

Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the Minister for Transport, speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the ‘okada’ issue in road safety management has necessitated the initiative that could eventually regularise their operations.

This year, the Ministry began a series of nationwide consultations to solicit views from the public on the commercial use of motorcycles and tricycles.

He said the exercise was undertaken with financial support from the UKAID Research for Community Access Partnership programme, the National Road safety Commission, the DVLA and the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service.

The consultation revealed various reasons why many people, particularly in the rural settings, used motorcycle and tricycles among other unapproved systems of transport.

Mr Asiamah said in one of such interactions, a participant said, "if you take away the Mahama Camboo, Pragya and Yellow-Yellow, the poor will walk again".

The Transport Minister said the biggest challenge to the sector was the increasing road crashes and its associated fatalities due to driver indiscipline and recklessness among road users.

He called on stakeholders in the sector to work extra harder in finding lasting solutions to ending fatalities on the road.