THE UGLY FACE OF GHANA’S PUBLIC TRANSPORT SECTOR

The current face of Ghana’s public transport sector is characterized by gridlocks, perilous navigation by drivers, high occupancy, insanitary conditions and high cost of fares. 

What account for these? The political will and regulatory potency to enforce road safety standards and procedures are virtually non-existent.

From trotros, taxis, trains and motorbikes, each day, men and women including children wake up at the crack of dawn to fight bumper-to-bumper traffic and cramped public transport to show up at places in time or late.

Another worrying situation is the number of commercial vehicles on our roads. Statistics show that there are about 237,537 commercial vehicles (up to 2000cc) in Ghana.

This greater number of commercial vehicles ply the insufficient road network resulting in slower vehicle speeds, queuing and longer distances between points. A lot of fuel is wasted raising pollution level in the cities, with stressful conditions and health issues which lead to loss in productivity.

Does your means of transport to work or places matter? What is the state of the state’s position on Bus Rapid Transport (BRT)? It is possible these questions have crossed the minds of many well-meaning Ghanaians.

Well, the argument for orderly developments and enforcement of road safety standards and procedures is strong and urgent.

The issue of an effective and efficient public transport system should by no means be belittled, as good transport system keeps the nation moving and bad one has cost and even health implications for its users.

My name is Kofi Anokye, a sustainable development enthusiast. I’m making my perfect grain of sand. Make yours too, and we’ll build a sustainable city, brick by brick.

A GLANCE AT MEAT CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY AND TYPE

Meat is always on the menu in many parts of the world, as we can see when we map out meat consumption by country. How do countries differ in how much, and what type of meat, they eat? In this colorful graphic, we highlight the most consumed type of meat in every country in the world, using data from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Each colour denotes a different category of meat - beef, pork, mutton, poultry, seafood, or other with annual consumption calculated per capita in kilograms (kg).

Let’s dig into the data.

Is Fish Considered Meat?

Since meat is normally defined as the flesh of any animal (with the primary components being water, fat, and protein), that includes fish and other seafood.

But whether fish is considered “meat” or not depends a lot on cultural practices and dietary preferences, and has varied throughout history. Some earlier definitions of meat focused only on mammals, for example.

In Christianity for example, many denominations allow eating fish on fasting days when abstaining from meat. This was both due to distinctions between meat from warm-blooded land animals and cold-blooded animals (like fish), as well as the importance of fish consumption in parts of Europe where Christianity flourished.

To account for both sides of the debate, we’ll cover meat consumption by country both with and without fish and seafood.

Just by glancing at the map, poultry stands out as the most popular meat by weight consumption in 70 countries, or about 40% of the entire database.

 

THE EMERGENCE OF “PRAGIA” ON OUR ROADS: AN INSTITUTIONAL DYSFUNCTION OR NEGLIGENCE?

A cursory look at roads in most of our cities, towns and communities clearly indicates the ever increasing presence of tricycles popularly referred to as “pragia”, playing key roles in facilitating the transportation of people from one point to the other.

The Road Traffic Regulations 2012 (Legislative Instrument [L.I] 2180), however, prohibits the use of motorcycles and three wheelers for commercial activities. 

Although the law exists, there has been a blatant disregard for this regulation for many years mainly due to challenges in enforcement.

From road safety perspective, we need to be smarter about our transport systems and stay ahead of the curve.

A CLARION CALL TO EXCELLENCE

Commit to continuous improvement and invest what it takes to develop your skill until you reach the very top of your field.

Distinguish yourself as a professional. You might be called names but ignore and stick to your ideals.

Everything that must be done must be done well. We must endeavor to pursue excellence in whatever we do. Mediocrity is counterproductive. Have an unbeatable passion for excellence. Ambition drives results, have great dreams and a passion for excellence.

Indeed time and tide wait for no man. Whether you do what you have to do or not, the clock keeps ticking. It won’t wait for you.

Be intellectually competitive!