The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, believes public transport should not be left entirely in the hands of private individuals under any circumstance.
According to him, no country in the world runs a system where public transportation is wholly controlled by private operators, as is the case in Ghana, because of its national security implications.
Speaking on the BigIssue segment on the NewDay morning show on TV3, Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in reaction to threats by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union to increase transport fares after fuel prices went up, Mr. Tameklo said it is time Government halts these incessant threats from these transport operators.
The transport operators have announced an increment in fares, despite Government’s extension of its GH₵2 subsidy on petroleum products to September this year, to cushion consumers.
Mr. Tameklo, reacting to the development said such periodic threats from private operators demonstrate why Government must rethink the current public transport architecture.
“I’ve always maintained that under no circumstance should public transport be left for private people. No where in the world is this done,” he stated.
He explained that government has made enormous sacrifices to keep fuel prices stable, including forgoing revenue that could have been channeled into developmental projects by maintaining the GH₵2 subsidy.
Also, he argues the Government has stabilised the cedi to reduce the cost of importing spare parts into the country.
He said it is therefore disingenuous for private transport operators to threaten fare hikes while ignoring these interventions.
“I want to appeal to the GPRTU, in fact, Chairman Abulbire who happens to be the General Secretary, Government has demonstrated real commitment and when it gets to the point that these unions are going to hold government to ransom, then there is a national security implication of that.”
Mr Tameklo detailed how the prudent management of the cedi has brought relief to spare parts dealers at Abossey Okai and other trading centres.
He noted that previously, importers needed about GH₵170,000 to import $10,000 worth of spare parts when the dollar was trading at GHC17.20, but today they need far less due to the cedi’s appreciation.
He argued that if the country had a strong state-owned public transport system, commuters would have alternatives and would not be at the mercy of private operators who threaten fare increment at the least opportunity.
He therefore reiterated his call to the Finance Minister to invest in more buses for the state in the upcoming 2027 budget to protect the public interest and ensure stability in the public transport sector.
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