Minority in Parliament has launched a sharp attack on the Mahama administration, accusing it of failing to effectively manage Ghana’s public transport system as urban transport challenges continue to worsen.
Addressing the media at a press conference on Monday, January 26, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin said the current government has shown clear inability to sustain a functional and reliable public transportation network.
“This administration has failed and cannot maintain a functioning public transportation system,” he stated.
His comments come amid growing public frustration over congestion, unreliable services, and the deteriorating state of mass transit operations across major cities.
Adding an academic perspective to the debate, a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Joshua Zaato, described the ongoing urban transport difficulties as a clear policy failure. Speaking on Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, January 24, Dr. Zaato argued that the crisis reflects long-standing neglect of the transport sector.
“The urban transport crisis is exposing a policy failure because we are not investing enough in the public transport system,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Managing Director of Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMTL), Haroun Apaw-Wiredu, has raised serious concerns about internal challenges within the state-owned transport company, particularly widespread revenue leakages linked to previous management.
According to him, the situation he encountered upon assuming office was alarming.
“We have done a massive shake-up at our internal audit unit. I have never seen this level of leakage in an institution,” he revealed.
Mr. Apaw-Wiredu further disclosed that former officials of Metro Mass Transit who allegedly supervised the procurement of unfit buses will be prosecuted. He confirmed that a draft audit report on past procurements has already been completed and forwarded to the appropriate authorities to initiate legal processes.
“We have received a draft report from our auditors on the various procurements. It is being forwarded to the appropriate office for prosecutorial processes to commence,” he said.
He also criticised buses procured during the previous Akufo-Addo administration, describing them as unsuitable for Ghana’s operating environment.
“Most of the buses procured under the Akufo-Addo regime were without recourse to our weather conditions. They were a complete waste of money,” he added.
The exchange of blame between political actors and transport officials underscores the depth of Ghana’s public transport challenges, as calls intensify for sustainable investment, accountability, and long-term policy reforms to address the sector’s persistent problems.
