Commercial Use of Nonmotorized Transport: Evidence from Accra, Ghana
Abstract
The traders of Accra, Ghana, continue to make use of hand-pushed and hand-pulled carts for moving their stock across the city. These non-motorized forms of transport play a key role in a low-income economy; developing economies, with their large informal sectors and plentiful supply of petty-trading enterprises, contain a preponderance of enterprises having restricted capital bases, a condition that requires the use of low-cost transportation. The bicycle, although well suited to the small-load requirements of much petty trading, is not regarded as a suitable mode of transport for women, who make up the majority of Ghana's traders. A World Bank project designed to support and promote models of nonmotorized transportation is being implemented. The practices and prospects of the commercial use of nonmotorized transport in Ghana is discussed, the World Bank project that supports and promotes these transportation modes is described, and the appropriateness of nonmotorized transportation modes for developing economies is discussed.
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Article first published: January 1996
Issue published: January 1996
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