Scania to assist Ghana with rapid urban transportation

Executives of Scania, an automobile company with headquarters in Sweden, said they were ready to supply buses to organisations and institutions in the country in an effort to improve on Ghana's rapid transportation system.

To this end, Scania would discuss with the management of Metro Mass Transport, Intercity STC and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly on the provision of the buses to the companies.

The visit by the executives of Scania followed a request made by President Mahama during a visit to the company's headquarters for support to improve Ghana's urban rapid transport system.

Speaking during a presentation on the activities of Scania at the Ministry of Transport on Tuesday, Dr Anders Folkesson, Product Manager, Scania Sweden, said the company had the capability to furnish government with buses appropriate for the country’s weather conditions.

He said Scania employed 35,000 people globally and had 1,500 workshops around the world and was very vibrant in East and South Africa aside Europe, Asia and the Americas.

“Although, we are not very vibrant in West Africa, we hope to start working here by starting with Ghana”, he said. He said the buses which would be supplied to companies in Ghana would be imported from Sweden as Scania had no assembling plant in the country.

He said Scania produced heavy trucks, heavy buses, engines, workshop parts, training of drivers, 24 hours road assistance among others, and was considered as one of the leading producers of buses in the world.

He called for adequate production of transportation in urban areas to cater for half of the world’s population who lived in urban areas. He intimated that Ghana was a fast growing country which needed efficient, fast and safe mobility for economic development.

Dr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, AMA Mayor, said the Assembly was ready to acquire 86 buses from Scania for the Accra - Amasaman corridor which would be operational next year. “We are also developing three other corridors including Accra to Kasoa, Tema to Nungua and Accra to Adenta-Madina”, he added.

Mrs Dzifa Attivor, Minister of Transport, expressed her appreciation to Scania for following up on President's Mahama’s visit and pledged Government’s readiness to improve on public transport system in the country.