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Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the Minister of Transport, has touted the achievements chalked in the transport sector over the past seven years under his leadership.
He said despite the numerous challenges, the sector since 2017 had seen tremendous transformation in aviation, maritime and road transports.
Speaking at the opening session of the 2024 strategic meeting of the Ministry in Cape Coast, the Minister
highlighted some of the major achievements in the aviation sector including the upgrade of the Tamale Airport to an international status.
He said it had also rehabilitated phase one of the Sunyani Airport, completed the Kotoka International Airport Terminal Three project, established an independent body responsible for aircraft incident and accident investigations and prevention, and now expanding the Kumasi Airport to international status.
In the maritime space, Mr Asiamah said it had constructed a new liquid bulk terminal at the Takoradi Port and completed the construction of a container terminal at Tema Port.
He added that 12 fish landing sites along the coast and a fishing port for Elmina had been constructed while a port for James Town was near completion, and the Meridian Port Services Terminal retooled with 15 modern ships and other logistics.
In road transportation, Mr Asiamah said the government acquired 200 intercity buses for Metro Mass Transit and 100 intercity buses for STC.
The Ministry had also passed the National Road Safety Authority Act 2019 (Act 993) and the National Road Safety Authority Regulation 2022, and digitalised and improved services of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
The two-day strategic meeting assembled all relevant stakeholders to review the performance of the sector from 2017 to date, reflecting on the achievements, development issues and identifying areas for improvement.
Despite the achievements, the Minister acknowledged that the sector was faced with countless challenges including a growing demand for the reduction of urban traffic crashes and fatalities.
Authority and the DVLA were at various stages of reviewing their Acts to address some identified challenges and adopt emerging practices in the industry.
He noted that each stakeholder had a crucial role to play in shaping the future of transportation in Ghana.
He added that it was imperative to embrace the global technological advancement in the sector, citing autonomous vehicles to smart infrastructure, among others.
Source : myghanadaily
