Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on Wednesday outdoored the first batch of 100 units of electric buses (EVs) for the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT) to revamp its operations and improve Ghana’s transportation system.
It will reduce the cost of public transport in the country, enhance accessibility, and contribute towards the global reduction of carbon footprints.
The initiative forms part of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia Government’s ambition to modernise, innovate, and transform the country’s public transport sector.
The pilot phase of the program has, therefore, set the benchmark for integrating green technology into Ghana’s public transportation system and ensuring healthier and more efficient transport.
Inaugurating the 100 buses at Adentan, a suburb of Accra, Vice President Bawumia said the introduction of the EVs would lower the cost of public transport by 40 to 50 percent. The intervention, he said, would also reduce the operational and maintenance costs of the MMT by 50 percent.
Dr. Bawumia said when he first suggested the idea of moving public transport in Ghana to electric vehicles, many thought it was not possible.
The NPP Flagbearer said the government’s broader vision was to transform the entire public transport sector, which would facilitate a credit facility for members of the Ghana Public Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and other organised transport associations to acquire electric buses.
He, therefore, encouraged all individuals operating transport businesses to join an organised transport union to benefit from the government’s intervention.
Later, Dr. Bawumia, who is also the Presidential Candidate of the NPP, also celebrated a significant milestone in the empowerment of female head porters, popularly known as Kayayei.
At a graduation ceremony at Madina, former Kayayei received certificates as professional bus drivers under the Kayayei Empowerment Programme.
The initiative, championed by Dr. Bawumia, provides training opportunities to Kayayei in fields such as bead making, fashion design, soap making, and now professional driving. The program, which aims to empower 5,000 Kayayei, is transforming lives across the country.
Dr. Bawumia explained that while some stakeholders offered head pans to Kayayei to continue carrying loads, his administration pursued a “bold solution” to tackle the challenges they faced.
Dr. Bawumia reflected on his earlier promise to provide hostels and training opportunities for Kayayei during a visit to Agbogbloshie, a prominent market in Accra.
The NPP flagbearer wrapped up his day with a community connect event at Nungua in the Krowor Constituency. The event, which attracted hundreds of participants, saw in attendance leading members of the NPP in the Greater Accra Region take turns to address the crowd.
Taking his turn, Dr. Bawumia reiterated his bold solutions for Ghana to the electorate, which according to him will propel the country forward, and asked the constituents to reject the NDC and vote massively for him and the NPP parliamentary candidate.
