In Lomé, the process of formalising and professionalising the profession of motorbike taxi drivers began on Friday 24 February. This start-up is the concretisation of the authorities’ will to reorganise the public road transport sub-sector.
Thus, that Friday morning, the “zedman” (name of motorbike taxi drivers in Togo) of Lomé met for the first stage of this process. The aim is to train them to drive better. This training, in addition to preparing them for the driving test, also aims to make them aware of the lack of respect for traffic regulations in order to limit traffic accidents. This is followed by the actual driving test.
According to the Ministry of Financial Inclusion and Organisation of the Informal Sector, these drivers will have precisely one professional driving licence, different from those of ordinary citizens. This will allow them to declare themselves and benefit from various financing products through the National Fund for Inclusive Finance (FNFI) as well as from social protection, reports togofirst.
Furthermore, it should be noted that in 2022, the government has initiated important measures to reform the road transport sub-sector. One of its reforms is the obligation for all motorbike taxi and tricycle drivers to have an authorisation or a receipt before being able to operate on Togolese territory.
According to the Togolese authorities, this reorganisation will enable the transport sector to play a full role in the development of other sectors of activity. According to the government, “the transport sector is one of the levers capable of generating strong and sustainable economic growth, particularly through the creation of externalities favourable to production”.
It should be noted that the road sub-sector employs a considerable number of young people and contributes to over 90% of the movement of people and goods in Togo, according to the government.
