GH¢1.9m Bus terminal abandoned in Tamale

The current state of the new lorry terminal in Tamale

A GH¢1.9 million bus terminal constructed in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital, to ease congestion at the main lorry terminal has been abandoned and left to deteriorate about five years after completion.

The project was constructed by the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) in 2015 with funding from the World Bank under the Urban Development Grant (UDG).

It was furnished with auxiliary facilities such as parking lodges, drivers resting rooms, washrooms, passengers stands and security lodge.

Located at Datoyili in the central business district on the Tamale—Kintampo highway, the terminal was constructed to relocate all long-distance vehicles from the central business district.

The current terminal serves buses that travel to all parts of the country from Tamale.

State of facility

The new facility appears to be deteriorating, with paints peeling off the structure while parts of the ceilings had collapsed apparently due to the harsh weather conditions, the Daily Graphic observed during a tour of the place.

Weeds had also taken over the entire lorry terminal, with livestock and suspected miscreants competing over space for abode.

Various installations — including electrical cables, air conditioners, louvres and bulbs — also appeared to have been stolen.

The Northern Regional Industrial Relations Officer of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Alhaji Masahudu Salifu, told the Daily Graphic that although the union was aware of the deteriorating nature of the terminal, it had not received any formal communication from TaMA on the way forward for the project.

He said informal reports from TaMA suggested that there were still ongoing consultations on the project before it would be handed over to the transport operators.

He, however, expressed concern over the undue delay in operationalising the facility, and called on city authorities to put it into good shape for use.

Broader consultation

The Chief Executive of the TaMA, Mr Sule Salifu, in a recent interview, said the assembly was engaged in broader stakeholders’ consultations on the possible operation of the terminal.

“The assembly is not resting on this matter; we are doing all we can to ensure that we put the facility into use,” he stated.