No more road tolls but can we go further to solve the actual problem?

Many people are pleased with the announcement made by the finance minister in the 2022 budget that our roads will be toll free. As the Minister states, this is to reduce traffic on the roads and increase productivity. Well, that is good news, but I am not sure if it is the most important problem to resolve to reduce road traffic and increase productivity in the workplace. I agree that this is a problem that needs to be addressed. Politically, removing road tolls is less expensive, popular, and will be an effective campaign message by 2024. Is it not reasonable to expect our governments to make deliberate efforts to tackle the challenges we face? The benefits of a vision for nation building are very rewarding in the long run, not only from a political standpoint. And they are the right things to do.

In this article, I suggest three additional measures the government can take to resolve the most pressing road traffic and productivity issues we face in our country. Addressing these problems would lead to the creation of many jobs currently unavailable. It is good that the minister is considering increasing productivity in Ghana, since thousands if not millions of people are either unemployed or underemployed. Additionally, my ideas would create new employment opportunities for those who were manning these road tolls and may soon be out of work. Unless they possess the necessary qualifications to be absorbed into other government agencies or the private sector.

In terms of road accident deaths, Ghana ranks 23rd out of 183 countries. Globally, Ghana has one of the highest rates of road accident deaths. Obviously, the Minister of Finance should be concerned about this. Human lives and capital are at risk. It should be our concern to reduce this threat and create jobs for our graduating high school and university students.

In my opinion, we need to introduce driver training in high schools for the first time. Second, private sector institutions and capital need to be engaged to invest in new driving schools throughout the country. Finally, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) should be further decentralized.

It is essential to teach high school students about traffic and road regulations if we want to reduce accidents and traffic. It should be made mandatory and codified in law. By graduation, every high school graduate should have a driving license. In addition to the three-year free curriculum for SHS, all high school students must enroll in driving classes at established driving schools in their communities. The cost of these classes can be borne by the parents. This practical skill will be useful for future opportunities in, for example, seeking employment abroad. The most important benefit, though, will be protecting lives on the road. The government will increase productivity by decreasing funeral times and the emotional strain on families after a loved one passes away. Additionally, training and education will greatly reduce traffic congestion since most drivers will be able to read road signs.

Some might argue that not everyone owns a car, so they won't be able to drive and so there is no need for this mass implementation of a policy. We don't need to worry about who has a car today.
Regardless, our high school graduates and university graduates will drive one day and some immediately.

Moreover, if it has not already passed legislation, the parliament should pass legislation allowing for the setting up of DVLA offices, as well as standardized driving schools by the private sector players in every district with an established high school. There needs to be more DVLA offices in all districts to provide not only vehicle and driver registration but also insurance services and the National Identification Cards. Private partnerships should be allowed to keep up with international standards if the government cannot carry out its insurance mandate.

I recommend that these arrangements be public-private partnerships for the DVLA offices to operate efficiently. It will result in a higher level of service and revenue generation. There will be employment created in DVLA offices, insurance companies, etc. throughout the country and in each district through the hiring of drivers and accounting staff. It will also generate more revenue than at present through issuing more licenses and renewals, identification card replacement, and other allied services. In other words, this single move by the government will mitigate the negative results of unemployment and underemployment in the country.

Do you have any idea how many jobs and revenue this move will generate and how much productivity it will provide? Not meager political gestures for elections, but structures and institutions create jobs and increased GDP. In developed countries, people have jobs simply because the systems are designed and run well; they take advantage of opportunities presented by their challenges and create wealth. Our children must be taught personal responsibility and given the skills necessary to survive in a hostile world. No one who wakes up hoping for bread from heaven ever succeeds in life.

To ensure that high school graduates have thorough knowledge of road safety issues and act accordingly, I pray that they will be taught safe driving practices. By implementing these policies, road accidents will be reduced, lives and properties will be saved, and jobs will be created. Within five to ten years, we won't have to spend as much time rescuing wrecked vehicles from the road. Youth unemployment in this country will be reduced when many young people are employed as professional drivers, accounting staff, insurance experts and allied workers. It was my intention not to mention law enforcement in this article because I know that their job will be made easier if they are dealing with a community of informed road users.

Cheers!

Dr. Edward KP Bam, PhD, PChem.

Research Scholar

University of Alberta

President, Kpando Secondary School Old Students Union, 1998 (KOSA’98)

[email protected]