Accra, Ghana, August 23, 2020//-Professor and Economist of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), John Gatsi has supported the move to legalise commercial motor vehicle popularly known in Ghana and Nigeria as okada business.
According to him, okada gives employment to many youth throughout the country. However, compliance with road traffic regulations, respect for other road users and safety is a problem largely in southern Ghana.
In the northern part of Ghana, there is high respect for traffic regulations, respect for other road users among others by okada riders, Prof Gatsi observed.
Although he accepted the fact the okada phenomenon is clearly a developmental challenge, policymakers should deal with it to make it better.
“It is possible to make it better to maintain jobs, incomes and help the riders to obey road traffic regulations and ensure safety”, Prof Gatsi who is the Dean of the UCC School Business, argued.
Many people have died through accidents and carelessness by okada riders in Ghana. According to the National Road Safety Authority, 27.7% of road accidents linked to okada riders.
“The question is has it been easy to stop okada? No. Can we change our approach? Yes. The truth is that Okada is the main means of transportation for many rural communities”.
What Mahama said?
Former president John Dramani Mahama who is also the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) maintained that if the party comes to power next year, he will legal okada business in the country.
This pronouncement has been welcomed by investors and okada riders in the West African country.
Addressing the chiefs and people of Kpando in the Volta Region of Ghana recently, Mr Mahama insisted that the okada business which is illegal per the laws of the country has created more jobs than the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) programme which was introduced by the government to address rising graduate unemployment.
The NABCO programme which was launched by the Akufo-Addo government in May 2018 targeted over 100,000 unemployed graduates with a monthly stipend of about GHC700.
Defending the move to legal the okada business, Mr Mahama said: “Why behave like the turkey and bury your head in the sand? This pragyas, Aboboyaa, okadas have created more jobs in this economy than any government job-related policy. It has created more jobs than NaBCo, YEA and all those artificial job creation programs…”
He said people involved in this genuine line of business often suffer harassment from personnel of the Ghana Police Service. But regulating it would prove more sustainable and effective as it has come to stay.
Mr Mahama said, “…these young people live under harassment because it’s illegal and so the police stop them, they take money from them and so my suggestion is that why do we behave like the ostrich? Let us legalise it and let us regulate it, let’s make it safer…”
As a prelude to the full legalization of the okada business if he is elected, persons involved must be “trained on how to ride a motor cycle properly…he must have safety precautions…they must not overload the motor cycle…they must identify that this is a commercial motorcycle so that we know that they’re following the rules…they must obey all traffic regulations…”
While okada riders who flout the rules of the business will have their licenses revoked, he said.
This he believes “…will bring some discipline into the sector.”
Attempts to legal it in the past
Instructively, Ghana’s Parliament in 2012 approved a legislative proposal by the government to pass the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (Legislative Instrument 2180) to regulate road transport in the country.
Pursuant to this, Sections 128 (1), (2) and (3) of the L.I. 2180, prohibited the use of motorcycle or tricycle, or what has been popularly known as “okada” for commercial purposes.
But, in March last year, NDC members of the minority in Parliament made strong calls for the amendment of the country’s road traffic laws to accommodate the okada business that has not materialized.
African Eye Report
