Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has revealed that the country is nearing the completion of arrangements to acquire and import 100 electric buses by the year's end.

Dr Bawumia explained that this initiative is designed to lower carbon emissions, contribute to the fight against climate change, and mitigate increasing transportation expenses.

During a meeting with members of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Dr Bawumia highlighted that the implementation of electric buses will be carried out through a public-private partnership.

He added that the government intends to build charging stations at several fueling sites to accommodate the new fleet of buses upon their arrival in the country.

“One of the issues we are looking at as far as reducing the cost of transport in Ghana is that we go through two things: we should move towards electric vehicles, which will help the environment. Also, with electric vehicles, two elements will help all of us: It doesn’t consume fuel.

“So, when the price of fuel increases, it will not impact the price of electric vehicles. Again, there are not many spare parts in electric vehicles; the main spare part that will be needed will be the battery, which can last for years. It will reduce the transport cost.

“Beginning this month, we are commencing the construction of charging stations because electric vehicles will need charging stations where you can charge your car. We want to place the charging stations in virtually every station’s fueling station.

“We want Ghana to move towards solar power. So, the charging stations will be hybrid, both solar and electricity, but we want to move towards this by election. This year, we are hoping to bring in close to 100 electric buses to show the public how it is working,” he stated.