Leading officials from the new government of
Ghana visited APTA on Nov. 5 to talk about the nation's new transportation agenda and to
meet APTA business members interested in those opportunities.
The new majority leader of the Ghanaian parliament, Joseph Henry Mensah, emphasized
that the new government elected in January 2001 is intent on restoring the country's
transportation system and reversing the previous administration's policy of abandoning the
system.
He noted that the municipal bus company was falling apart, and the railways, which had
been owned by the national government, have been left without a skilled workforce that
could keep the system in operation.
Other delegation members included Dr. Richard W. Anane, the new minister of roads and
transport; TA. Selby, deputy director of the ministry; and Pierre Osei Owusu, a Ghanaian
citizen and senior transportation planner for the city of Durham, N.C. APTA President
William W. Millar welcomed the officials to the association's offices.
The delegation invited APTA business members to join them in the new effort.
They noted three projects in particular for which they are looking for U.S. partners:
the renovation of urban bus service in Accra; the renovation and subsequent extension of
the suburban rail system in the Accra-Temaarea; and the national rail network.
Regarding the bus project, the minister indicated that they intended to license private
bus companies to serve mass transit zones, operating dedicated routes on dedicated lanes
and also opening intermodal centers on the edges of the transit zones where they would
intercept riders from feeder services. An estimated 400-bus fleet would be required for
the project.
The Ghana Rail Company plans to seek private sector concessions for the operation of
the suburban rail system, while the government maintains ownership.
The meeting was a joint effort of the Federal Transit Administration's International
Mass Transportation Program and the International Committee of APTA’s Business Member
Board of Governors.
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