Old Workers of Neoplan Ghana Limited Calls on Government to Revive the struggling Company.

Old Workers of Neoplan Ghana Limited Calls on Government to Revive the struggling Company.

The Neoplan Old Workers Association in the Ashanti Region has called on the government to as soon as possible revive the collapsing and/or struggling Neoplan Ghana Limited as it could create employment for the unemployed people in the country.

Neoplan Ghana Limited, a company that was solely mandated to manufacture vehicles and buses located in Kumasi at the Abrepo Junction in the Bantama constituency in 1974 under the Busia administration is now in dying need of survival.
 
Speaking in an interview, Mr Boateng Rexford who is the chairman of the Old Neoplan Workers Association said when Neoplan Limited is revamped, it can help and employ as many unemployed youths in the country to sustain the socio-economic activities in the country.
 
He stressed that it is sad to see a local Manufacturing Company which was employing over 2000 permanent workers and over 1000 Casual workers cannot even employ 1 person today and is almost on the verge of collapsing with no worker at the site is very disheartened.
 
As a joint-venture company between the Government of Ghana and Gottlob Auwarter GmbH to produce buses for Ghana's public transport fleet. It became the first bus manufacturing company in West Africa and the kind of buses the company was producing was overwhelming.
 
The company was the first to be built a “Double Decker” bus in West Africa and was transporting some of the buses made here to Saudi Arabia, Zambia and other countries because they used to build 8 brand new Buses every week.

According to him, the Minister for Works and Housing who doubles as the Member of Parliament for the people of Bantama, Honourable Francis Asenso Boakye has promised to revive the company but his promises are yet to come to light.
 
A former Engineer for Neoplan Company Limited, Mr Akwasi Tonyo, also stated that Metro Mass Transit wouldn’t have been as bad as its current state if Neoplan Ghana had been operating.
 
"I believe Neoplan Ghana can solve metro mass transit deplorable buses that are stuck in their yards because, Saudi Arabia bought 110 buses from Germany and after 8 years, it was not in good shape, they came to Ghana and Ghana ( Neoplan)  company sent 5 people to Thailand, Pakistan and Philippians to get them trained and went back to repair them with the little knowledge acquired from the Ghanaian Neoplan workers.

Other members also added their grievances or disappointments over the struggling company and urged the government to help revive it to cater for the high unemployment rate in the country.

Story by Opamago Paparichy.