• Ghana to receive 100 buses for Metro Mass Transit
• Government plans over 300 buses by year-end
• Operational fleet fell from 1,000 to about 400

Ghana’s transport minister has announced that 100 buses are due for delivery in March to strengthen the fleet of state-owned Metro Mass Transit (MMT). The purchase is part of a broader plan to acquire more than 300 buses by the end of the year, in a bid to support an operator that has struggled with capacity and maintenance challenges for several years.

Dorcas Affo-Toffey made the announcement on a local television channel. A shrinking fleet, spare parts shortages and maintenance problems have steadily reduced MMT’s ability to meet rising demand for urban transport.

In November 2024, the government had already taken delivery of an initial batch of 100 electric buses for the company, though the figure was considered insufficient. According to local media, the vice president said the company’s operational fleet has fallen from around 1,000 buses to nearly 400 in recent years, highlighting the scale of the structural challenges it faces.

As a result, urban transport relies heavily on private operators. In Accra and surrounding areas, most trips are handled by “Trotro” minibuses, traditional taxis and ride-hailing platforms such as Bolt, Yango and Uber. This dominance of private operators contributes to chronic congestion on major roads in Accra and Tema, with significant economic and environmental costs.

Efforts to diversify transport modes have meanwhile struggled to gain traction. Under former President Nana Akufo-Addo, a large-scale plan to build 4,000 kilometers of rail lines, including links to Burkina Faso, one of the main users of the port of Tema, was presented as a key tool to improve the country’s connectivity and logistics competitiveness. According to authorities, nearly 75% of that network has yet to be built.

Henoc Dossa