TRAFFIC has over the past few months been building up in the Northern Regional capital, Tamale, as the city, which is considered the third largest in Ghana, is expanding in all spheres.
Initially, the traffic situation in Tamale was free flowing because the roads, which have linked all the suburbs, were rehabilitated and expanded in the 1990s.
Again, the number of vehicles in the city was considerably low, since motorbikes and bicycles were the main means of transportation.
However, the sprawling city has in recent years grown from its compact nature to a large cosmopolitan area with several important institutions and companies.
There are now about 20 banks and a similar number of insurance companies operating in the city. Whiles banks like Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and Barclays Bank have two or more branches, the latest banks to enter the city are Guarantee Trust Bank, Ecobank and Fidelity.
Air traffic is also said to be increasing. According to the Manager of the Tamale airport
As for hotels and guest houses, they are spread in all parts of the city, with some of them competing among the best hospitality companies in the country.
Institutions like the University for Development Studies (UDS) and the countless non-governmental organisations have all contributed to attracting many people to Tamale.
It is therefore not surprising that human traffic has consequently swelled significantly as all these institutions have employees, some of whom were posted to the city from other regions.
Among the population, the wealthy class has equally increased, thereby contributing to an increase in cars.
And also critical is the fact that Tamale is more or less the heartbeat of the three Northern Regions as it serves as the fulcrum for many economic and social activities that occur in the north.
But one thing remains clear in all this. There is an urgent need for all major roads in Tamale to be expanded as the city grows, else Tamale could soon join the likes of Accra and Kumasi, where the traffic situation has become a nightmare.
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