The government has acknowledged the daily transportation strain endured by residents of Accra but insists that fixing the problem will require a shared approach rather than a full state takeover of public transport.
Speaking on TV3’s The KeyPoints on January 17, the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said authorities are aware of commuter frustrations and are prepared to invest, even as they recognise the limits of direct government control.
“Trotros have played a key role in our transport system over the years. Government cannot fully take over public transport,” he said.
Mr Ofosu noted that public transport remains a critical part of urban life and stressed that it remains a priority for state investment.
“Public transportation is important, so government will invest,” he added.
The discussion broadened to the human cost of Accra’s transport challenges, with University of Ghana finance lecturer Prof Godfred Bokpin describing what he called an unsustainable daily routine for thousands of workers.
According to him, many urban commuters are forced to wake as early as 3:00 am just to arrive at work on time, a pattern he warned could have lasting health consequences.
“Some people sleep less than four hours every day,” he said on the programme.
“If you continue like that, your body will give up. The health implications are serious,” he stressed.
Prof Bokpin explained that exhaustion has become so routine that many workers cannot function immediately upon arrival at the office.
“They need time to cool down before they can even start working. This has been going on for years, but it has become more pronounced,” he said.
While urging the public to remain patient, he argued that government must be more candid about how long economic reforms take to show up in everyday life, especially without strong infrastructure.
“You cannot talk about economic transformation without infrastructure,” he said. “Transportation is the foundation.”
He maintained that Ghana must be willing to take difficult decisions and invest heavily in infrastructure, even if it comes with short-term fiscal pressure.
“I will support government if they say we want to close the infrastructure gap fast, even if debt-to-GDP goes up,” he said. “As long as we get value for money and invest properly.”
Prof Bokpin traced the transport crisis to years of weak planning and forecasting, arguing that persistent infrastructure gaps have undercut claims of economic progress.
“What Ghanaians have been going through for years is a clear reflection of lack of planning,” he said on January 17.
“We have not taken time to analyse our rush hours, our travel patterns, and deploy targeted interventions.”
He linked worsening congestion, prolonged travel times and rising commuter stress to a broader failure to invest adequately in transport connectivity, noting that movement between major urban corridors has become increasingly restrictive.
“If you look at the travel time when people close from work, it tells you how limited their mobility is,” he said.
“Essentially, we have left Ghanaians to fate. If you survive, fine. Otherwise, it’s your own problem.”
He warned that the impact goes beyond inconvenience, describing the situation as a drag on national productivity.
“When movement is restricted, economic activity suffers. This is inefficiency, and it is the reason why macro-level progress is not translating into better lives,” he stated.
