Accra, May 13, GNA - Twenty-four women sponsored by management of the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT) have successfully undergone three months training in professional bus driving at a Female Driving Institute in la Cote d' Ivoire.

With effect from June this year, they would start plying some specific routes in the Accra Metropolis on trial basis, after which they would subsequently be allowed to drive to other parts of the country. Mr Henk Visschers, Managing Director of MMT, disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Thursday in Accra. Mr Visschers said the project which was jointly financed by the Government of Ghana and the MMT company, would be the first of its kind in the country when it takes off next month.

"The management of the company decided to initiate the project because observation and statistics available indicated that females drive more safely and carefully than their male counterparts," he said, adding that some insurance companies also give discount to female drivers. The Managing Director said the decision was to help the company to meet the increasing need of professional drivers as the company grew from an initial 400 to 1,000 buses operating in the country.

"As the country prepares to commence its oil extraction later this year, there will be the need for more drivers so this project is to help the company solve such a problem in future," he said. Mr Visschers noted that the project was also viewed as a practical support of government's policy of women empowerment and gender balance. He indicated that plans were far advanced for the company to establish a drivers' training school with well-equipped modern facilities to promote professional driving in the country.