Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Kudzo Tameklo, has called for a stronger state role in public transportation as Ghana deals with rising fuel prices.

He said public transport is important from a national security perspective and should therefore not depend entirely on private operators.

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Speaking in an interview with JoyNews on Friday, September 18, 2026, Tameklo said the government must play an active role in providing public transport services to help cushion commuters from the impact of rising fuel costs.

“I've always maintained that from a purely national security point of view, public transport should not be left in the hands of the private sector only. The state must have an active role in public transportation,” he said.

According to him, the Finance Minister has given an assurance that the government will procure more buses to strengthen public transportation and provide more options for commuters.

He also disclosed that the Minister for Local Government is considering measures to help Ayalolo buses operate more effectively, including the possible use of police escorts to ensure they can move through traffic and serve more passengers.

“I've also seen that the Local Government Minister is prescribing a situation where even the Ayalolo buses will have police escorts to be able to move, so more people can make use of that potential public transport,” he stated.

Tameklo said these measures are part of efforts to ensure that the impact of rising fuel prices is not immediately passed on to commuters through higher transport fares.

He further noted that the Ministry of Transport and the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) have recently reached an agreement concerning transport fares.

He said President John Mahama has also been directly involved in discussions with transport operators as the government seeks measures to make transportation more affordable for Ghanaians.

“This is one thing that the President himself gets directly involved in, and I'm just telling you the extent to which the President is willing to go to make things easier for our people,” he said.

Tameklo, however, cautioned that the current agreement with transport operators is only temporary, indicating that developments in the international oil market could affect the situation.

He pointed to ongoing geopolitical developments involving countries such as Iran, Oman, Kuwait, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, particularly discussions around the management of the Strait of Hormuz.

He said developments in the Middle East, as well as attacks on oil infrastructure, could continue to affect global fuel supplies and prices.

“Tomorrow, we will wake up tomorrow and already, as you know, the geopolitics of it is that Iran, Oman, Kuwait, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are trying to have a conversation,” he noted.

Tameklo expressed hope that the ongoing international discussions could lead to greater stability in the oil market before the end of the month.

“There are a lot of things that are happening that I believe that we may get to the end of the month and things would have so stabilised,” he added.

ANAS/MA

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