Tema, July 26, GNA – The Government has been called upon to prioritize key sectors of the economy in the face of global economic instability and social crises.
After prioritizing and developing the sectors, the government must try to get the citizens to buy into such ideas by orienting the minds of the people, the Reverend Dr Samuel Worlanyo Mensah, an Economist and Executive Director of the Centre for Greater Impact Africa, a non-governmental organisation, has said.
Rev. Dr Mensah also advised the Government to consider sectors such as transportation and all its aspects developed to provide cheaper and more efficient transport for citizens.
Rev Dr Mensah, who is also the Presiding Bishop of Christ White House Chapel International, stated during analyses of the Mid-Year Review of the 2022 Economic Policy and Budget presented to Parliament by the Minister of Finance at the Ghana News Agency Dialogue platform.
The Dialogue allows state and non-state as well as commercial and business operators to communicate to the world.
Answering a question on the high cost of fuel and whether the Government had to subsidize it, he said it was a two-way approach in which one had to do with the country’s domestic revenue and the other one had to do with a robust transportation system.
“You realized that we have a very poor transportation system so everybody is compelled to buy cars and be using private cars, so one person will sit in his or her private car from Accra in the southern sector of the country to Bolga, the northern part.
“You can imagine the cost that he or she would incur and so at the end of the day if we should have a very strong transportation system, such a person would manage with public transport,” he stated.
According to him, “if we should have a very strong transportation system, by being able to build the railway system, the marine transportation as well as improved upon roads and the national transportation system, and the public encouraged to patronized public transport, at the end of the day people would not feel the impact of the fuel prices too much”.
He emphasized that the Government could work on the transportation system, not only on roads but must also look at fast-tracking railway development and introducing marine transportation.
The Economist indicated that “if you are able to get a very good marine system from Accra to say Cape Coast, which will be able to take us about 35 to 40 minutes, there is no need for you to drive through all these traffic.
“As a nation, we need to develop a massive integrated transportation system not only roads, if you are looking at only roads that is where a lot of people want to buy cars.”
Rev Dr Mensah said there was the need to disabuse people’s minds that road was the only means of transportation as the government make efforts in paying attention to the transportation system.
Laudia Sawer
