Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), has appealed to the Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, to prioritise the procurement of more buses for the state in the 2027 budget.
According to him, this will reduce the state’s over-reliance on private transport operators and curtail the periodic threats to increase transport fares despite government interventions to make life easier for Ghanaians.
Mr Tameklo made the appeal while speaking on the BigIssue segment on the NewDay morning show on TV3 Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
He was commenting on the back of threats by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) to increase fares following the recent increase in fuel prices.
The GPRTU has hinted at a possible increase in transport fares in the coming days due to the rise in fuel prices, a move the NPA CEO describes as an attempt to hold the country to ransom.
This comes despite the Government’s decision to extend its GH¢2 subsidy on fuel to September 2026 to mitigate the impact.
In a direct appeal to the Finance Minister, Mr. Tameklo said the time has come for Government to invest heavily in public transport infrastructure.
“Let me use your platform to appeal to the Hon. Finance Minister, Hon. Ato Forson. Very soon you’ll be presenting the 2027 Budget in November. Minister, with the greatest of respect and with all humility, buy more buses for the State, so that these periodic threats from these private individuals, we can reduce it. Our people cannot be holding them to ransom when government is doing everything to make life easier for them.”
Mr Tameklo argued that Government has already demonstrated commitment by sacrificing revenue that could have been used for developmental projects just to keep fuel prices down through the GH¢2 subsidy extension.
He said it is therefore unfair for private transport operators to continually threaten fare hikes without acknowledging the broader economic interventions Government has made to stabilise the cedi and reduce the cost of doing business for spare parts dealers.
He noted that the current administration has managed the cedi prudently compared to the previous period when the dollar was trading at very high rates, which directly impacted the cost of imported spare parts.
According to him, expanding the state-owned fleet under entities like Metro Mass Transit and the Intercity STC will provide a viable alternative for commuters and introduce competition that will check the excesses of private operators.
He maintained that a robust public transport system is a national security imperative and should not be left at the mercy of private individuals who can decide to ground the country at any time.
