President of policy think tank IMANI Ghana Franklin Cudjoe has backed calls for the legalisation of Okada in Ghana.
“Okada must be legalised to make it safe. This touches a lot of lives,” he wrote on Facebook.
It comes barely a day after his Vice President Kofi Bentil declared support for former President John Mahama’s call for mainstreaming of Okada operations in the country.
“Okada business is a major source of honest employment for many people. A major service provider of choice in traffic locked Urban areas and underserved rural areas and elsewhere.
“If you are not prepared to legalize and properly regulate this important transport and economically viable sub-sector, then you are not prepared to run a nation like Ghana. Yes it is hard work but it must be done!!! Get serious and do the real work,” Mr Bentil wrote on Facebook.
Mr. Mahama while defending his stance on Okada legalisation said: “This is a service that has come to stay. Whether you legalize it or not you cannot stop it and so why behave like the ostrich and bury your head in the sand. These okadas have created more jobs in this economy than any government job-related policy. It has created more jobs than NABCo, it has created more jobs than YEA and all those artificial job creation programs”.
But some supporters of the governing NPP have argued that the business is not sustainable and safe.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.FM