BUDGET: Mass transit programme to continue

Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance, on Thursday said so far the government had taken delivery of 75 buses out of the 100 that were ordered with Dutch Government support to improve the mass transportation system.

The Ministry of Roads and Transport, which was undertaking the programme, also received a donation of 47 buses out of 230 from Italy, which had been used to form the nucleus of the Metro Mass Transit Company.

The company started operations in October 2002.

Mr Osafo-Maafo presenting the 2003 budget said under the mass transportation system, 250 high occupancy mass transport buses were expected in the country to augment the fleet.

He said services would be extended to Kumasi and would eventually cover other parts of the country, adding that 162- hectare inland port would be developed at Boankra in the Ashanti Region as part of government's strategic vision to develop an efficient inter-modal transport system in the country.

The port would make provision for facilities such as a container handling terminal, warehousing and haulage facilities, industrial and Export Processing Sites, offices and residential facilities.