The President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT-Ghana) Mr. Ebo Hammond has called on government to grant the transport industry the supervisory and regulatory role by establishing a Road Transport Regulatory Authority (RTRA) clothed with the mandate of coordinating the activities in the road transport sector.

He said CILT-Ghana is aware of the many major initiatives government had undertaken and continues to undertake in the transport industry especially with the expansion of ports infrastructure, both sea and air areas, the digitization of the economy, trade facilitation and ease of movement, but there much needed to be done in the road transport sector which is a frontier and the bedrock of the country’s value creation.

According to Ebo Hammond who was speaking as a Chairman at the 2nd Ghana Transport and Logistics Conference in Accra organised by Ridmut Consult, the road transport sector has been bedeviled with many challenges and it would only take the establishment of an Authority to put it in check as is being done in other transport sectors such as aviation and Maritime industries.

He said: “CILT is of the view that there is the need for the government to establish a Road Transport Regulatory Authority (RTRA) to regulate and coordinate activities in this sector as existing in Aviation (Ghana Civil Aviation Authority), Maritime (Ghana Maritime Authority), others.”

Ebo Hammond also enumerated that the Logistic Performance Index suggests that the more developed the economies of countries are, the higher their LPIs hence a country may not be able to accelerate its economic development without the concurrent development of its logistical and transportation systems.

Mr. Poku Kyei, Technical Advisor to the Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Marfo, who delivered the Keynote Address said efficient and effective transport and logistics industry has a great impact on the socio-economic development of every nation and that the government of Ghana has taken keen interest in the development and expansion of the industry by broadening access to infrastructure as well as funding.

He also averred that government has introduced policies that will help improve the industry performance.

According to him, government has not relented on its obligations to the road transport sector hence its efforts to invest more in the transport industry with adequate infrastructure so as to achieve its Ghana Beyond Aid vision.

He revealed that government has taken steps to prioritize the railway systems, implement the paperless ports systems where cargoes can be cleared at ports in 24 hours among others as some laudable initiatives government has put in place.

He expressed the hope that government has greater plans for the road transport sector as well, averring that the establishment of a Road Transport Regulatory Authority which in itself a requirement under the Road Act, will be pursued by government.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Ridmut Consult, Mutawakil Riyad explained that the conference will create a synergy and strengthen the collaboration between the Public-Private sector in the transport and logistics industry aimed at bringing together different perspectives on leveraging private and public sector dialogue for sustainable development by engaging key stakeholders to deliberate on economic development issues in a non-partisan manner, as well as to discuss issues of inclusive industrial development and tackling challenges through the conference.

Presentations on the transport and logistics situation in Ghana, he said will be presented by experts in the industry to give the participants the current picture of transportation value chain and demand in the country.

He said: “The second session will present the policies and strategies that are being implemented by the government in the non-conventional transport and logistics sector, interventions and support schemes.”

The Ghana Transport and Logistics Conference serves as one of the most influential conferences in the transport and logistics sector as it aims at promoting enterprise influence and seeks to provide guidance to the thorny development of the transport and logistics industry.