The new CODA Drive cars on display during the launch in Accra
• Accidents from motorbikes contribute to the highest in the country
• CODA is giving riders a new option that is more economical
• CODA boss believes this is a great step towards making the riders wealthier
Motor riders, or okada riders, as they are most popularly known, can now heave a sigh of relief with the introduction of a new initiative to replace their bikes with small, efficient cars.
This is being made possible by the Coastal Development Authority, through the CODA Drive initiative, which is aimed at keeping the riders safe, while helping them maximize profit through legal means.
Speaking at the event to launch the project, the Chief Executive Officer of CODA, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, stated that this initiative was born out of the fact that he wants to make millionaires out of the okada riders.
“I want to make okada riders millionaires. By owning one of these small cars today, you may just end up owning many more others. Just like Zoomlion that started small, you can also become very big,” he said.
He also expressed joy at the fact that with these small cars, the accidents that riding motorbikes bring to people on a daily basis can be adequately tackled.
He therefore urged the motor riders to therefore take advantage of the initiative and work hard with them to save their own lives, as well as to restore sanity to our streets.
The launch of the CODA Drive, an initiative by the Coastal Development Authority to replace motorbikes with cost-effective cars while keeping the riders safe on the roads currently has 200 cars available to be distributed.
The first batch of beneficiaries will pay GHs25,000 for the cars and be expected to pay up GHs41 only each day to offset the cost.
The CEO of CODA also said that it is the hope to bring in 200 more of the cars into the system every quarter, while aiming to make them better.
Godwin Annor, General Manager of Cadmus Investment Limited, the company in charge of bringing these cars into the country, announced that for the first 1000 kilometers on the car, no beneficiary will be charged for it.
The fuel tanker of the car can also be filled with as little as GHs60, he added.
He explained that this is all to make sure that the riders are able to make profit for themselves.
