Corrupt practices are
still a big problem along
the Tema-Ouagadougou corridor within the West African sub-region, despite the overall bribery decrease of 11%, and that of Ghana by 5% in 2009, Louis Acheampong, Project Coordinator of the Social Support Foundation (SSF), has revealed at a workshop organised in Tema recently.
He explained that the situation was still alarming, since new opportunities for bribery have emerged through the introduction of new checkpoints along the route, and new extortion avenues created by duty bearers, who do so under the pretext of enforcing the rules on axle-weight load limits.
This was contained in a report put together by the SSF and the Community Development and Advocacy Centre (SSF-CODAC), following a research work conducted by the two partners on the transport situation along the Tema-Ouagadougou corridor.
The project, which is otherwise known as the AED-IRTG Project, strategically works with three major objectives, with about thirteen outlined activities towards the realisation of the stated project goals.
The project is to contribute toward enhancing equitable access, accountability and transparency in road transport governance within the West African sub-region, and to support the campaign to free the West African transport corridors from excessive barriers, corruption, and delays.
Mr. Acheampong explained that bribes collected on the Tema-Ouagadougou corridor weighbridge, especially by Customs and police officers, forms about 32% of the total bribes being collected along that corridor.
He noted that even though by March this year, there was a reduction in bribery along the corridor, the amount truck drivers are paying to pass through checkpoints, has actually increased by 15%, as compared to the same period last year.
The number of checkpoints decreased in the first quarter of 2009 by 4%, compared to the previous quarter, but the number of checkpoints is still 13% higher than it was one year ago.
Explaining further, Mr. Acheampong pointed out that the main corridor in Ghana, which is the Tema-Paga corridor, has 1.9 checkpoints per every 100 kilometres, and US$4.98 of bribe is paid for every 100 kilometres to agents at the various checkpoints.
“We look forward to closing up the gap with Togo, or performing better in the year ahead of us, with the corridor linking Lome to Ouagadougou within Togo recording 2.08 checkpoints per 100km, 5.4 minutes of delay for every 100km, and US$4.09 bribe payment,” he said, adding “a closer analysis of the report, revealed that national economies in the West Africa sub-region lose over US$1.5m in a year, because this money goes into the pockets of officials at the checkpoints as unofficial monies collected from cargo drivers, irrespective of whether these drivers have the required documentations on their vehicles and cargoes.”
He disclosed that as a result of the canker, “The various countries lose high revenue, and their respective citizens are at the receiving end, in terms of high cost of goods and services paid as a final consumer.”
Participants at the seminar called on the government to endeavour to reduce some of the bottlenecks to make transportation along the corridor easy.
