$3bn Chinese loan to help improve transport sector
The Deputy Minister for Transport, Dzifa Attivor, has given indications that plans are far advanced to improve the transport sector of Ghana with the coming of the US$3 billion Chinese loan.
The Deputy Minister also indicated that government would soon be providing alternative modes of transport to reduce the traffic situation in the country, especially in Accra.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Attivor said her outfit was working closely with the Roads and Highways Ministry to ensure that roads under construction were finished on time to ease the traffic situation in the capital.
She indicated that “everybody is using the roads because there are no alternatives, but we are committed to developing other modes of transport. ”
She added: “There is a construction work going on to pave way for the implementation of the ‘Bus Rapid Transit’(BRT) because we believe that moving people [in bulk] will reduce the congestion and accidents on our roads.
“But without the infrastructure we cannot start the operations so as at now the Roads and Highways is doing that construction and by the third quarter of next year, the operational aspects would start and that would fall under the Ministry of Transport so we are prepared. ”
Attivor continued: “That is not the only place that would be implemented but that would be the pilot one to see how the whole thing would go.
"For the Adenta –Accra road, we are thinking of using the ‘tram’. Last year the Vice President visited Czech Republic and there is a proposal to do a pilot tram system from that stretch.
“We believe that when all these are put together, people would feel comfortable and use the public transport”.
"The current state of the ‘trotro’ and the taxis do not encourage people to use them because of the rickety nature of the vehicles but with the BRT, the buses would be very neat and solid so that you feel comfortable when you sit in them," she noted.
Credit: Citifmonline.com
Accra, May 17, 2012
Government’s management of revenue generated from the country’s oil and gas resources will today come under intense scrutiny ... 