The first Ghana Transport and Logistics Fair (GTLF) was launched in Ho in the Volta Region on the theme: “Resetting Ghana’s Transportation Sector for Im­proved Connectivity, Innovation and Investment.”

Slated for October 22-24, this year, it aimed at bringing relevant innovations to the transport sec­tor to harness opportunities that would engender economic growth of the country, would start from of the same month.

The Minister of Transport, Mr Joseph Bukari Nikpe, who launched the fair here on Friday assured Ghanaians that his outfit was committed to the develop­ment of the transportation sector with conscious efforts being made to attract local and interna­tional investors to help promote development in the sector.

Mr Nikpe said the transporta­tion was key to facilitating rapid economic development, since all economic activities depended on the sector, the Ministry as part of government’s development agenda, had started bringing the needed transformation to the sector to engender rapid econom­ic evolution.

He said all sectors of the econ­omy were driven by the Ministry of Transport, and had taken a bold step to launch the fair, which he stressed would bring the need­ed development to the sector.

The Minister explained that the fair formed part of a bold decision to engage stakeholders including local and international investors to attract investment to the transportation sector, which had the capacity to create jobs and open other opportunities.

Mr Nikpe said inadequate integration of technology in the transportation sector had affected its growth over the years, saying strengthening the sector with effective connectivity would defi­nitely enhance international and local trade in the Africa sub-re­gion and globally to promote economic development.

According to him, key play­ers in the transportation sector including the private transport organisations like the Ghana Road Transport Union (GPR­TU), motorbike riders popularly known as “Okada” riders and tricycle operators also known as “pragia” would be integrated into the transport system, and their activities regulate.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Digital Eye, organisers of the fair, Dr Chief Nat Nsorko, said the fair would be strategically organised to promote all forms of transportation in the country, to attract investors to develop the transportation systems that would transform the sector.

Dr Nsorko explained that the fair would not only showcase the various logistics in the transport sector but also would have dia­logue sections to share ideas and embrace innovation relevant to the development of the sector.

According to him, the various agencies within the transport sec­tor would be given the platform to participate effectively at the fair, and urged the youth to take advantage of the opportunities to showcase their talents for devel­opment.