The governing New Patriotic Party says it is not threatened by the promise made by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to legalise activities of commercial motorcycles popularly known as okada in Ghana.
According to the Minister for Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, a process to engage relevant stakeholders on safety concerns with regard to okada operations started as far back as 2019.
He added that the governing New Patriotic Party is not frightened over Mahama’s promise.
The Minister made this known when he spoke to journalists after a Public Accounts Committee hearing on Wednesday, September 9, 2020.
“We are not frightened about it. We are supposed to govern this country to the best of our ability. There are certain things that if you are doing you must get the buy-in of the people and in introducing such a policy, the law says that you must do a stakeholder consultation with persons with interest in it. We have already started consultations with people since 2019. But coming up with such a policy is not about speed but accuracy and getting the right people.”
“When we are done engaging the experts and others, it will enable us to come up with a good policy. So let’s not compare these issues and say somebody has made a campaign promise, so we should come and respond to it. The law was passed in 2012 by the erstwhile NDC administration, but we as a government know that this is a matter we need to take our time to consult the people involved and come up with what is best for the nation.”
Mahama’s promise
John Mahama has insisted that legalising okada operations is long overdue since such businesses had created more jobs than all the “artificial” job creation avenues.
“There are many young people who have finished school but can’t find any job, so they look for what they can do. There are many young people you see riding motorcycles and transporting people from place to place.”
“But according to our laws, okada is illegal. But in reality, okada has become part of us. It has come to stay and you can’t stop it. So I have suggested that when we come into office, we will legalize okada but we will regulate it. We will regulate it and give them the necessary training, so they are able to conduct their business in a safe manner. They must obey all the traffic regulations in order to be able to go about their profession,” he said.
Source: citinewsroom.com
