The Minister of Transport and Member of Parliament for Saboba, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has assured that the State Transport Company (STC) and Metro Mass Transit (MMT) will receive new buses by the end of the first quarter of 2026 as part of government efforts to retool the two state-owned transport operators.

Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on The Point of View on Channel One TV on Monday, December 22, Mr. Nikpe said government has secured financial backing from the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) to support the acquisition of new buses for STC, with similar arrangements currently being finalised for MMT.

Describing the situation as a major concern for the Ministry, Mr Nikpe thanked President John Dramani Mahama for his direct involvement in the process. He revealed that the President recently held meetings with STC management and GCB officials to secure support for the procurement of nearly 300 buses.

“God willing, we should have buses by the end of the first quarter of 2026 for both state transport companies,” the Minister said.

According to Mr Nikpe, STC is expected to receive between 250 and 300 buses in the first phase of the programme, with plans for additional buses to be procured annually to sustain and expand operations. He explained that the acquisition will be a continuous exercise, with more than 150 buses expected to be added each year.

“We are on course, and I am very certain that very soon STC will begin to receive new fleets supported by the Ghana Commercial Bank. They will purchase the buses, and the bank will do all the arrangements to support us to have more buses,” he stated.

He added that similar arrangements are being made for Metro Mass Transit, with fleet renewal expected to take place in phases annually.

“If they are able to bring in the first phase between 250 to 300 buses, it will be a yearly activity that every time we are going to bring in over 150 buses to support their operations. The same arrangement is being made for Metro Mass Transit Limited that the buses will be supplied in phases every year. We will renew their fleets,” he said.

The transport minister noted that before engaging financial institutions, government implemented internal reforms aimed at improving efficiency, accountability, and financial management within the transport companies. He said these measures have begun yielding positive results.

“Before the President agreed to talk to any bank, there were some internal arrangements we had to put in place. We have now put them on their toes to manage what they have, and we are seeing improvement in their daily mobilisation of funds,” he said.

He described the developments as encouraging and expressed confidence that the fleet renewal programme would significantly strengthen public transport services across the country.