GOVERNMENT AWAITS €1MN SPANISH GRANT TO EXPAND AYALOLO FLEET – Local Government Minister
Ahmed Ibrahim blames decade-long lack of retooling for worsening urban transport crisis
The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has revealed that the government is expecting a €1mn ($1.09mn) grant from the Spanish Embassy to help expand the fleet of Ayalolo buses, amid worsening public transport conditions in Accra and other urban centres.
Speaking on January 16 during a meeting with Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang and transport operators, Mr Ibrahim attributed the current transport crisis to what he described as a failure by the previous government to retool urban bus services.
“In 2014 to 2015, His Excellency the President of the Republic, President Mahama, also continued with the establishment of Ayalolo buses and also augmented the Kufuor buses. And that has been the trend. But for the past 10 years, there has not been retooling in all of these unions, and that’s why the problem is happening,” he said.
Mr Ibrahim disclosed that Ayalolo has not added any new buses since the initial 200 were procured in 2014, noting that this has led to a significant reduction in operational capacity due to wear and tear. “When I assumed office… I called the Ayalolo boss and asked, ‘We gave you 200 buses in 2014. How many have you added?’ He said, ‘Zero’… If all 200 buses are depreciating and none have been added, then step aside,” he recounted.
According to the Minister, the newly appointed Managing Director of Ayalolo subsequently engaged the Spanish Embassy, which offered to provide the €1mn grant, subject to approval from the Ministry of Finance. “They wanted to give us a grant; all that was needed was a letter of no objection from the Minister for Finance,” he said.
He confirmed that the Spanish ambassador has been following up, and expressed confidence that the required approval will be granted to enable the release of funds.
The disclosure comes as Vice President Opoku-Agyemang continues stakeholder consultations to address challenges in Ghana’s public transport sector, particularly in the Greater Accra Region, where commuters are contending with inflated fares, vehicle shortages, and long wait times during peak hours.
Source:NKONKONSA.com
