AMA Registers 472 ‘Borla Taxi’ Operators

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in pursuit of the 'Clean Accra Project' has so far registered 472 Private Waste Collectors popularly called 'Borla Taxis' who operate within the Metropolis to identify, coordinate, monitor and control their activities.

The registration exercise which started on 4th July and expected to end on 31st July 2018 was to aid in further engagement with the operators to enhance their capacity in health, safety, environmental management and business development.

The Head of the 'Borla Taxi' registration team, Mr. Abraham Afful indicated that the three registration centres, Zoom Pak, Korle Lagoon Ecological Restoration Project (KLERP) near Mortuary Road and the AMA Waste Management Department has so far recorded 350, 120 and 2 registrations respectively, adding that the process had been successful.

He, however, stressed that the registration team had challenges of language deficiency, the inability of the operators to provide their passport pictures for the registration and operators collecting refuse beyond the jurisdiction of the AMA.

He noted that the leadership of the 'Borla Taxi' and Tricycle Operators Association of Ghana helped in teaching their members the new mode of operation.

“This is an initiative of the AMA, but it's in line with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resource to identify the Borla Taxi Operators and coordinate their activities to regulate the work that they are doing. The registration is the initial step to build their capacity so they can contribute to cleaning the city of Accra,” he added.

Mr. Afful urged all Borla Taxi Operators within Accra to register with the AMA as it was illegal to operate without a permit and therefore punishable by law.

He also tasked city dwellers to desist from employing the services of Borla Taxi Operators who had no embossment stickers from the AMA.

“It is compulsory for everyone operating a tricycle or Borla Taxi within Accra to have the sticker which is free. If you do not register, your tricycle can be seized. I will also like to encourage citizens to take center stage with respect to cleaning their environment and not look down on the work of the Borla collectors and corporate with them. If an operator does not have a sticker, you should not give your Borla to them because it means that they are going to dump the rubbish illegally,” he stressed.

He further commended the Chief Executive Officer of the AMA for the initiative to recognize and include the 'Borla Taxi' operators into the AMA waste management system, adding that it would go a long way to build their capacity.

Mr. Kwame Frimpong Orlando, President of the Borla Taxi and Tricycle Operators Association of Ghana also commended the AMA for recognizing the role they play in keeping the city clean.

He appealed to the Assembly to designate areas especially for the Borla Taxi Operators so that the more prominent Waste Management Companies would not harass them.