A delegation from the Volta Lake Transport Company (VLTC) yesterday paid a courtesy call on the management of the New Times Corporation (NTC) to seek collaboration to promote its brand and activities.
The visit is in line with efforts by the company to remain visible in the public domain, with the support of the media, ahead of the company’s 55th anniversary scheduled for next year.
The delegation from the company comprised Managing Director, Mrs Rose Appiah Okyere, Commercial Manager, Mr Godwin Owiredu Yeboah, and Publicity Officer, Mr Daniel Peprah Agyei.
In a presentation, Mrs Okyere said the company, a subsidiary of the Volta River Authority, considered the NTC as a strategic partner whose support would be significant in the communication of the work of VLTC to the public.
She said the company had three barges with a capacity of 2,250 tonnes each dedicated to the transportation of solid bulk cargo, as well as six additional barges with a combined capacity of 4,676 tonnes.
A barge is a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel.
Having been in the industry for more than five decades, she said the company was capable of transporting bulk cargo across the Volta Lake to various destinations.
Mrs Okyere explained that VLTC operated two tugboats on the north-south commercial route and was capable of handling the needs of potential customers.
She said using the Volta Lake to transport goods from the Southern to the Northern part of the country, meant that over 2,000 trucks would be moved off the roads annually.
This, she said, was because one voyage could convey goods that about 140 trucks could carry, thereby freeing the country’s roads of heavy vehicular movement.
According to her, this would help conserve the roads as well as reduce the amounts of money used to rehabilitate them.
Mrs Okyere, therefore, called on Ghanaians to tap into the advantages of inland water transport.
“If its commercial lines are significantly boosted by increased patronage, the company would be able to recapitalise with enough funds to subsidise its ferry operations,” she said.
Welcoming the delegation, the Managing Director of the NTC, Mr Martin Adu-Owusu pledged the Company’s support towards their initiatives and assured the delegation of the corporation’s readiness to work with them.
“Our doors are always open, we are ready for you. Whatever information you want us to put out, it is our mandate to inform the public in a professional manner,” he stated.
According to Mr Adu-Owusu, the company’s pursuit of a solid relationship with the NTC was a step in the right direction, and expressed the hope that both sides would put their best foot forward.
For his part, the Editor of the Ghanaian Times, Mr David Agbenu, said the relationship between the company and the corporation would be sustained for mutual benefits.
BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY
