Ghana: Press zooms in on Transport Ministry’s directive on 20% increase in fares, others

APA – Accra (Ghana)
The directive by the Ministry of Transport to the public to disregard a 20 per cent nationwide increase in fares announced by commercial and private transport operators is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Friday.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the Ministry of Transport has asked the public to disregard a 20 per cent nationwide increase in fares announced by commercial and private transport operators.
A statement issued by the Ministry’s Public Affairs Unit in Accra, yesterday, said there had not been any negotiation with transport operators for adjust­ment of current fares.
“When it becomes neces­sary for such negotiations and decisions are taken, the general public will be appropriately in­formed, as it has been done in the past,” it said.
The statement said the minis­try would continue to ensure fair and reasonable public transport fares, keeping in mind the needs of transport operators and the general public.
The ministry’s statement is a response to an announcement by Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) that the decision to increase the fares was taken at a national management meeting held on Tuesday.
According to the union, the new fares to take effect on Wednesday had become necessary as a result of excessive taxes on spare parts adversely affecting our operations due to hike in its prices.
Meanwhile the Deputy Minister of Transport, Alhassan Tampuli Sulemana has announced that he would engage transport operators to discuss a proposed increase in fares.
He explained that the process of discussing fare increases was part of a standing arrangement between the government and transport operators and during these discussions, all factors that could lead to an increase in fares were considered, including the impact it would have on the cost of lorry fares.
The newspaper says that a five-day training programme aimed at improving air quality in the West African sub-region is taking place in Accra.
The event, which started on Monday ending tomorrow, is being organised by the University of Ghana (UG) and Columbia University.
The programme, a first phase, is being attended by participants from Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria, all Anglophone countries in the sub region.
They included policymakers of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), academics and stakeholders, who shared air quality management experiences pertaining in Ameri­ca, including policies, knowledge, ideas, innovations, and the han­dling of health-related issues.
Addressing the meeting in Accra, the Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy in Ghana, Rolf Oslon, said the collaborative initiative, spanning West Africa, aimed to build capacity and com­prehensively address environ­mental concerns.
This, he stated, has led to the development of the first Air Quali­ty Management Plan in Ghana, a comprehensive action plan, to en­hance public health and address environmental degradation.
The Graphic reports that the Black Stars of Ghana were denied a thrilling victory, held to a 2-2 draw by the Pharaohs of Egypt in Abidjan on Thursday evening at the Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny.
Despite a magnificent brace from West Ham star Mohammed Kudus on his return from injury, individual errors by Iñaki Williams and Osman Bukari late in the game cost Ghana the win.
Kudus reminded the continent of his talent, wriggling past Egyptian defenders and unleashing a stunning long-range strike from a Salis Abdul Samed pass right before halftime. This came minutes after Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah limped off, seemingly weakening the Egyptian attack.
While Egypt dominated possession early, they rarely troubled Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori. Ghana’s first real chance came through Majeed Ashimeru, whose swift counter-attack found Antoine Semenyo, but Egyptian keeper Ahmed Elshenawi denied him.
Unfortunately, another Ghanaian mistake gifted Egypt another equalizer. Substitute Osman Bukari lost possession, leading to Mahmoud Trezeguet’s assist for Mostafa Mohamed’s second goal in two games. Despite Egypt’s late rally, Ghana held on for a draw, a bittersweet result given their twice-held lead.
The newspaper says that the Development Bank Ghana (DBG) partnered its participating financial institutions (PFIs) to disburse GH¢623 million to private sector companies last year.
This capital injection has contributed to the creation of jobs, expansion of businesses, increased revenue and generation of foreign exchange, DBG said in a statement.
It said its key highlights for 2023 had been captured in a year-end wrapped video on its key media channels, YouTube, Linked-In, Facebook, Instagram and X(Twitter).
It said the highlights reflected DBG’s unwavering dedication to empowering businesses and stimulating development.
The DBG year-end wrapped video has been made available across the bank’s digital and multiple social media touchpoints to offer stakeholders, the public, a glimpse of DBG’s impact in the areas of lending, partnerships, capacity-building and testimonies from beneficiaries.
“Playing the crucial role as an enabler of businesses in the country by providing long-term patient capital, DBG made significant progress in 2023 by distributing a total of GH¢623 million out of the total GH¢869 million disbursed since the bank started operations in 2022,” the statement said.
In all, the disbursed loans within the calendar period led to the creation of some 6,000 direct jobs across the country, the development financial institution said.
It added that the funds were also disbursed to local businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which fell under the key sectors of DBG.
The sectors are agribusiness, manufacturing and high value services.
GIK/APA