Tamale, Northern Region – An ultra-modern bus terminal built at Datoyili to decongest Tamale’s central business district has stood largely unused and deteriorating for years since its completion, despite costing roughly GH¢1.9 million and being funded under an urban development programme.
The facility, whose construction began mid-decade and which local reports say was completed around 2015–2016, was equipped with driver rest rooms, passenger stands, washrooms, a security post and other auxiliary infrastructure intended to relocate long-distance buses away from the city centre.
Yet residents and transport operators say the terminal has never been put into full operation.
Over time, the site has suffered vandalism and theft. Several journalists and local outlets have reported stolen electrical cables, air conditioners, ceiling fans and even a transformer installed to supply power to the terminal, damage that has rendered parts of the structure unusable and left open manholes and ripped roofing that pose safety hazards. Weeds, reptiles and homeless persons now occupy parts of the compound.
There is disagreement in official accounts about the original funding and project management. Some reports say the terminal was financed by the World Bank under an urban development grant; earlier coverage of the broader urban works in Tamale links some projects to the Ghana Urban Management Pilot Project and French technical cooperation.
Local contractors and community leaders have also alleged that a second phase, a rest-stop for travellers, stalled after a change of government.
Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) spokespeople have on occasion insisted the project was not abandoned, saying stakeholder consultations and ancillary installations were still being planned before the terminal could be commissioned.
But community leaders and the development committee say promised compensation and follow-up works were delayed for years, denying local people the jobs and services the project promised.
Transport unions and traders say the inability to bring the Datoyili facility into use has perpetuated congestion at the main lorry park and denied the city a safer, more organised long-distance vehicle hub.
Some commentators have called for the assembly to either refurbish and operationalise the terminal or formally hand it over to private operators under clear management rules.
Civil society groups and local media are urging an audit of the project’s completion status, expenditures and the cause of delays so repairs and security can be funded and the terminal finally opened.
Residents say decisive action is needed to stop further vandalism and to recover the public value of a facility built for Tamale’s growing transport needs.
Report By: Robicon Mornahson
