Professor and Head of Department of Geography and Resource Development at the University of Ghana, Martin Oteng-Ababio believes the okada business will keep booming in Accra until government solves the traffic congestion issue in the capital.
Prof. Oteng-Ababio who has done extensive research on okada business urged government to expand the road network in the country especially Accra to reduce the amount of time people spend in traffic in a bid to discourage the use of okada.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Citi FM/Citi TV, Prof. Oteng-Ababio said that research projections show that Ghana is looking to have about one million additional cars by 2023, and if efforts are not put in place to expand road infrastructure to meet the growing need, government will not be able to control the already thriving okada business.
“One of the reasons why okada is flourishing right now is because of the congestion that we are experiencing. If the city is expecting more cars and you don’t solve the fundamental infrastructural network problem then you should be expecting more traffic, more congestion, and more need for us to negotiate the city.”
Professor Oteng-Ababio made the remark on the back of an unending debate following the promise by flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Mahama, to legalise okada operations if he is elected President of Ghana on December 7, 2020.
The lecturer who believes that the time has come for such business to be legalised suggested that it has to be heavily regulated.
He explained that the current law banning okada operations was not backed by any research.
“The truth of the matter is that any law that is not backed by research is bound to fail. The failure of this law is not surprising to some of us. I suggest we look at the law in its totality because I don’t foresee the current law standing the test of time in Ghana today and in the near future,” Professor Oteng-Ababio added in the interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on September 17, 2020.
