The Concerned Voters Movement (CVM) has called for the training of more professional dispatch riders to work for companies, instead of legalising the use of motorbikes for commercial transport (okada).

In an interview with the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday, the Founder and President of the pressure group, Razak Kojo Opoku, stressed the need for a deliberate policy to train more professional dispatch riders to work as permanent staff in the delivery and transport units of companies.

He said for instance, the One District One Factory (1D1F) policy introduced by the current administration can employ these professional dispatch riders permanently in the transport units of the factories created under the policy.

That, he added, would create several decent and sustainable jobs for many of the young men who are engaged in the risky okada business.

He stressed the need for politicians to come out with better ideas to create sustainable jobs for the youth, instead of endorsing okada just to win votes.

According to him, most of the okada riders who are undereducated were engaged in the business due to lack of sustainable jobs and urged the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to abandon its promise to legalise okada.

“The youth of this country deserve better and decent jobs with well paid salaries than this okada business which only serves as a means to an end,” he said.

While commending the government for committing resources to the establishment of the 1D1F, he said efforts could be made to train and employ more professional dispatch riders for the factories as means of eradicating okada.

“Instead of the NDC to come out with an initiative that would create decent and well paid jobs for the youth, they are rather doing propaganda with okada riders. The question is, would the okada riders prefer to remain as okada riders forever? Absolutely not! They need much better jobs than that,” he said.

He said most of the okada riders could take advantage of policies such as Planting for Food and Jobs, Rearing for Food and Jobs, 1D1F, NaBCo, among others.