Bob ROCO Romeo

The free movement of people, as well as goods and services, is critical for the socio-economic progress of any society, as such, it is very crucial to consider the automobile industry and its elements such as the manufacturing and models of vehicles and their movement so far in Ghana, after 65 years of independence. On the eve of our country’s independence in 1957, a Ghanaian journalist named Moses Danquah claimed: “We are riding confidently on the crest of the wave to greater economic prosperity, to greater social and cultural achievements, and to eventual independence. We have reached this glorious stage largely through our progressive and efficient facilities for transportation—through our progressive, almost dramatic change from a static society to a mobile society.” Nationalists like Danquah and Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah seized on the symbolism of mobility, declaring a new slogan for the new nation-state: “Forward Ever, Backward Never.” For Ghanaian nationalists, autom...

Lack of good roads coupled with heavy traffic in most cities had forced a lot of people to look for faster means to transport themselves. What come in handy are okadas (Motorbike) and aboboyaa ( Tricycle) as emergency transport service for quicker meet-time and delivery. With the reckless and lawless behaviour of some okadas and aboboyas riders on the roads of Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi, and even some other towns in Ghana, one is under the impression that they are above the law. They operate as if traffic laws were made for other road users and not them. I recently visited Bolgatanga, the capital of the Upper East Region, close to the border with Burkina Faso, and to my surprise motorist over there seem to obey traffic regulations and driving over there was fun. No reckless counter-crossing or heavy-handed driving. In most parts of the capitals, in Ghana, okadas and aboboyaas compete with heavy-duty trucks, high-capacity vehicles on the highways and even on main road lanes. One...