A group, calling itself National Youth for Peace (NYFP), has called on the ministers for transport and local government to consider Okada operations in the country as an alternative for solving traffic congestion and unemployment in the country.
The group made the call in a statement issued yesterday in Accra and signed by its President, Eric Baffour,
“We argue for registering this under the DVLA with strict regulation and monitoring by the Ghana Police and the National Ambulance Services. This can be done by issuing a limited number of operators within a municipality or metropolis with special tags, licences and tax PINs for their operations,” the statement urged
According to the statement, the unapproved proliferation of Okada operators in the country has undoubtedly, reduced some crime rates and that according to research, “there are more than 57,000 Okada operators in Ghana with the Greater Accra having the greatest number of over 9,000.”
The above, the statement indicated, ‘may be due to the need for easy traffic commuting in crowded cities.”
The statement also revealed that in West African countries, Okada is used as a means of public transport.
“Ghana’s opposition to this means of public commuting sounds on grounds of safety, environmental controls, vehicular-human congestion, accident reduction and beautification of our modern cities. They are of the view that if this proliferating activity is properly and proactively regulated, it would fit into the transport system as a decent job creation venture, easy commuting means and source of tax widening
To this end, NYFP expressed the hope that government will involve proponents and civil society groups to an open debate on the subject.
NYFP further entreated the police to delegate emergency medical services in the monitoring of traffic and safety regulations and procedures as well as use of personal devices by traffic users.
Story: Elizabeth Amarfio