The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) is to organize an International Driver and Vehicle Innovations Conference (IDVIC) dialogue on Ghana’s transportation reforms at Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra on Tuesday, October 10th, 2023.
The conference is on the theme: “The Future of Road Transport” would bring together the most forward-thinking minds in the transport sector.
The Conference is scheduled to be a platform for sharing ideas, discussing challenges, and exploring solutions that can help to improve the road transport sector in Ghana and beyond.
It would also featured a range of speakers, experts and professionals from the industry with international reputation, who would share their insights and experiences on the latest developments in transport technologies and systems.
Attendees would be provided with a unique opportunity to network with like- minded individuals and serve as basis for future collaborations in the road transport sector.
There would be a wide range of activities and workshops to take part in, as well as opportunities to make valuable networks.
Attendees would also have access to the latest research and data, as well as the opportunity to learn from the best practices in the road transport sector.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of DVLA, Operations, Mr. Prince Opoku Adu-Osei stressed that the programme aimed at bringing together stakeholders who have acquired knowledge in the transportation sector to dialogue on new development or technology in the transportation system.
He explained that, due to the advancement in technology, some Western countries have been able to manufacture cars that fly when the traffic is tensed adding that, some cars have also been programmed in such that there is no need for a driver.
Mr. Opoku Adu-Osei referred to certain Apps that have been developed to provide easy access of transportation to people when seating at your confort zone and request for their services.
A lot of changes he mentioned, is currently going on nationwide due to technology but said, because Ghana dose not want to wait for events to take the nation by surprise, DVLA through IDVIC is doing everything possible to bring together, all stakeholders in the
transportation sector in other to discuss and dialogue on happenings in the transportation system in other to learn something as far as DVLA, Road Safety, Police Service, Policy Makers etc are concerned and to prepare themselves before events take them by surprise.
The Conference he stated, has three sub-themes of which one has to do with re-invent, innovate, and sustained. “Re-invent means embarking on something to bring changes. If our roads cannot contained the type of cars produced as a result of technology, then there is the need for the country to reinvent. We need to think of how to reinvent out roads starting from today. So the Conference would help for those with the know how”.
Road transport is said to be serving as the predominant mode of transportation in Ghana, accounting for more than 95% of the passenger market share and 90% of cargo traffic.
On the issue of getting rid of vehicles with bad conditions, Mr. Prince Opoku Adu-Osei pointed out that, at an appropriate time when policies are implemented , they would leave the system by themselves saying, there would be a time where nobody would show interest in such vehicles.
The prevalence of older vehicles in the country according to DVLA, poses environmental and safety concerns, including high emission levels and an increased risk of road traffic crashes. Therefore, to mitigate these issues, a comprehensive approach is needed, focusing on the modernization of the vehicle fleet through the adoption of newer, more environmentally friendly models, equipped with advanced safety features.
One of the key challenges the road transport sector faces is the inconsistency of road surfaces on classified networks, as identified in the National Transport Policy of 2020. Additionally, Ghana’s road transport sector is characterized by a significant number of imported vehicles – mostly used vehicles, primarily originating from European countries, with an average age of about 10 years.
However, technological advancements, such as electric and hybrid vehicles, reduce emissions and contribute to a greener and moresustainable transportation ecosystem.
In the face of these challenges, transformative innovations are rapidly emerging within the transportation sector, offering promising solutions to revolutionize Ghana’s road transport landscape.
However, the road transport sector in Ghana faces a multitude of challenges that hinder its productivity, compromise safety, and limit its contribution to the country’s economic growth and development.
