Every weekday morning, thousands of Ghanaians wake up before dawn, not because their jobs require them to start early, but because they need to beat traffic.
Unfortunately, many still end up spending two to three hours on roads that should ordinarily take less than an hour to navigate.
By the time they arrive at work, they are already mentally exhausted before the day’s activities even begin.
As someone who works in finance and treasury management, I have increasingly come to view traffic congestion not merely as a transport problem but as one of the hidden taxes being paid by Ghanaian businesses, workers and the economy as a whole.
Unlike conventional taxes, which are visible in our budgets and financial statements, the cost of traffic is silently deducted from our productivity every day.
In Ghana, discussions about economic growth often focus on inflation, exchange rates, public debt and interest rates.
While these are important indicators, we pay far less attention to the economic value that disappears daily on our roads.
Consider the worker who leaves Kasoa at 5 a.m. to arrive at work in Accra by 8:00 a.m.
Consider the trader travelling from Tema to the central business district or the professional commuting from Amasaman Odontia to Airport City.
Many spend between two and three hours every day in traffic; from an economic perspective, these are productive hours permanently lost.
If thousands of workers spend an additional three hours in traffic every working day, Ghana is effectively losing millions of man-hours annually.
No developing economy can afford such a level of inefficiency and still expect to compete globally.
The impact extends beyond individual workers.
Businesses absorb these losses through late arrivals, delayed meetings, missed appointments and lower operational efficiency.
Delivery vehicles complete fewer trips. Service providers serve fewer customers.
Commercial drivers consume more fuel while generating less revenue.
The cumulative effect is reduced national productivity.
What concerns me even more as a treasury professional is the implication for Ghana’s foreign exchange position.
Significant
As a country, we spend significant amounts of foreign currency importing petroleum products.
Yet, every morning and evening, one can observe thousands of vehicles burning fuel while virtually standing still.
In essence, scarce foreign exchange is being used to finance traffic congestion.
We import fuel with valuable dollars only for much of it to be consumed by engines idling on roads in Accra and other urban centres.
At a time when policymakers continuously seek ways to preserve foreign exchange reserves and stabilise the cedi, reducing traffic congestion should become part of the national economic conversation.
The issue is no longer simply about inconvenience; it is about economic efficiency.
There is also an environmental price that receives less attention than it deserves.
Vehicles trapped in traffic release emissions continuously into the atmosphere.
Drivers and passengers inhale these pollutants daily, often with windows down under the afternoon heat.
The long-term health consequences are substantial.
Respiratory illnesses, stress-related conditions and cardiovascular diseases carry economic costs of their own through increased healthcare spending, reduced productivity and absenteeism from work.
Traffic congestion is therefore imposing costs on our healthcare system long before patients arrive at hospitals and clinics.
Cost
Beyond economics and health lies another cost that cannot easily be measured in cedis and pesewas in terms of having valuable time with family.
Many parents leave home before their children wake up and return after they have gone to bed.
Valuable family time is sacrificed on congested roads.
Children lose moments with their parents, while workers lose opportunities for rest, exercise and personal development.
A nation cannot continuously lose both productivity and quality of life without consequences.
The solution, however, goes beyond constructing additional roads. History has shown that roads alone eventually fill up with more vehicles.
Ghana must aggressively invest in efficient public transportation systems capable of moving large numbers of people quickly and reliably.
Flexible work arrangements and staggered working hours should be encouraged where possible.
Urban planning policies must also promote the development of multiple business centres rather than concentrating economic activity within a few locations.
Technology-driven traffic management systems can also play an important role in improving traffic flow at major intersections.
Traffic congestion must be recognised for what it truly is, an economic issue deserving the same attention as inflation, exchange rates and fiscal deficits.
Every hour wasted in traffic is an hour removed from national productivity.
Every litre of fuel burned while stationary weakens our foreign exchange position.
Every additional vehicle emission contributes to future healthcare costs.
Perhaps it is time we stopped treating traffic as an unavoidable part of city life and started viewing it as one of the biggest hidden costs facing the Ghanaian economy.
Until we do, the engines will keep running, the fuel will keep burning, and Ghana will keep paying an economic price it can no longer afford.
Treasurer,
ABii National Savings and Loans.
Email:
