Cabinet has approved the reviewed National Transport Policy, thus paving the way for an implementation plan to be drawn up through collaboration between relevant ministries led by the Ministry of Transport itself, as well as the Ministries of Roads & Highways, Aviation and Railways. The new policy will replace the one in force since 2008, which required review to take into consideration emergent alternative transportation modes, changes in Ghana’s circumstances inclusive of new institutional arrangements and resultant new strategic objectives. The National Transport Policy is to provide guidance for the holistic and strategic development of the transport and logistics sector.
The stakeholder ministries will now be required to make their inputs into what will become an implementation plan for the new national transport policy which will cover both traditional transport modes in Ghana such as road and air transport and emergent alternatives such as light railways and cable cars among others.
Importantly, the new national policy takes into close consideration the opportunities created by the impending commencement of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA) of which Ghana is not just an enthusiastic member but is also the host of its secretariat. The lack of cross border transport infrastructure in Africa has been identified as a major challenge to the success of the continental single market.
The new policy will also support the Ghana Gateway Project, which seeks to make Ghana the gateway to West Africa with regards to international trade and foreign investment.
The review of the 2008 policy commenced in July 2017, and the gathering of inputs from a wide range of stakeholders was completed in December 2018 with a final national stakeholders consultative workshop held in Accra. The consultative process engaged ministries departments and agencies, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, civil society organizations, political parties, professional bodies, the Private Enterprises Federation and the media. The process included regional consultative and validation workshops held in all the regions.
Minister for Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah is optimistic that the National Transport Master Plan that will emerge from the newly approved national transport policy will positively transform Ghana’s transport sector for accelerated economic growth and development as well as for the betterment of living standards nationwide. Instructively, over the past three and a half years, under his guidance, the Ministry of Transport has quietly but efficiently and effectively upgraded Ghana’s transport sector through a combination of new infrastructure and new legislation.
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