The Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has urged commercial motorcycle riders to justify the government’s decision to legalise their activities by strictly adhering to road safety regulations, as the country prepares to operationalise the new legal framework governing Okada operations.
Speaking at the launch of the Safe Journey road safety campaign in Accra, Mr Nikpe stressed that the legalisation of Okada was not a licence for irresponsible rider behaviour but a means of making decent livelihoods while ensuring safety on the road .
“The government has done its part by ensuring that Okada has been legalised so that you can operate legally; you have a duty to be careful on the road so that we do not regret going to Parliament to pass the law,” he stressed .
A Call for Responsible Riding
The Minister’s remarks come at a critical juncture as the government finalises the legal framework for commercial motorcycle operations. The Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which legalises commercial motorcycle and tricycle operations nationwide, has been passed by Parliament and is now undergoing the final stages of the legislative process .
“Let us respect traffic regulations, let us respect other road users, and operate in an orderly manner knowing that your lives depend on how careful you are on the road,” Mr Nikpe emphasised after launching the campaign .
He acknowledged that Okada was an easy means of transport and job creation, which informed the government’s decision to regularise its operation to open it up for the youth .
However, he noted there were significant concerns from various groups about the government’s decision because of the many road crashes associated with the sector.
“We do not want to see more of the crashes people are talking about. Let us prove to Ghanaians that we can ride carefully; let us prove that we can also obey road traffic regulations to keep the roads safe and make a livelihood out of Okada,” he added .
Context of Legalisation Efforts
The legalisation process has been a subject of intense stakeholder engagement. Following the 2024 general elections, the government established a technical committee to conduct research and stakeholder consultations towards the legalisation and regulation of Okada operations .
A delegation comprising key stakeholders, including officials from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), and the Ministry of Transport, travelled to Rwanda to study that country’s commercial motorcycle operations and regulatory framework .
The Commercial National Motor Riders Union (CNMRU) has been part of the process, representing the interests of commercial motor riders across the country .
The relevant bill has now been laid before Parliament and is undergoing the parliamentary process, pending the necessary steps towards presidential assent .
Safe Journey Campaign Launched
The Safe Journey campaign is a partnership between the NRSA and Somoco Ghana Limited, dealers in Bajaj motorcycles and auto products, aimed at promoting responsible road user behaviour through education and awareness creation .
The initiative is also intended to enforce compliance with road traffic regulations, with the ultimate target of reducing road traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities. The campaign has a particular focus on educating motorcycle and tricycle riders, who remain among the most vulnerable road-user groups in the country .
The campaign, which runs through December 2026, seeks to make road safety a practical part of everyday mobility, with particular attention to motorcycle and tricycle users .
Rather than treating road safety as simply a matter of enforcement after accidents occur, Somoco says it wants to move the conversation towards prevention, education, responsible riding and preparation before a rider gets onto the road .
Safety Concerns and Statistics
The Minister’s call for responsible riding comes against the backdrop of sobering statistics. The Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) has revealed that an average of 10 people die daily from road crashes in Ghana, with four of those deaths resulting from motorcycle accidents .
In 2025, a total of 14,743 road crashes were recorded, representing a 9.3 per cent increase over 2024. Fatalities rose sharply to 3,653—a 21.5 per cent increase compared to the previous year. Of the total deaths, 39 per cent involved motorcyclists and bicyclists, reflecting a 35 per cent rise over 2024 figures .
The National Road Safety Authority’s figures also show motorcycles made up 27.86 per cent of crash-involved vehicles in October 2025, up from 23.49 per cent the previous year, highlighting their expanding role in severe and fatal crashes .
Call for Collective Responsibility
The Director-General of the NRSA, Abraham Amaliba, said the launch of the Safe Journey campaign was an indication that the authority would leave no stone unturned to reduce road crashes, injuries and deaths .
“Mobility must go hand in hand with safety. Transportation was created to make movement easier, not to claim lives. Unfortunately, we are witnessing increasing fatalities on our roads, and that must change,” Mr Amaliba said .
He urged transport operators, various associations of Okada riders and other road users to play their part in ensuring safety on the road. In particular, he stressed that riders of motorcycles and tricycles should be extra careful when they hit the road for business .
“Motorcycles have been manufactured to ease mobility, not to kill us; so, we need to ensure that we avoid speeding, reckless overtaking, ignoring traffic signals, and riding under the influence of alcohol, because it puts our lives and other road users at risk of crashes,” he stressed .
Corporate Commitment to Safety
For his part, the Managing Director of Somoco Ghana Limited, Nii Ayi Hyde, said his organisation was prepared to work with the NRSA to sanitise the country’s roads .
“Road safety must be integrated into the entire customer journey, from the showroom to the road,” he said .
It was in that regard that the organisation rolled out a training programme for Okada riders to update their knowledge on road safety . At the heart of the initiative is the Somoco Riding Academy, a DVLA-certified programme designed to provide rider education, training and licensing support, particularly for commercial riders .
The emerging regulatory environment makes rider education, licensing and responsible operation even more important. If commercial motorcycle operations are to form part of Ghana’s transportation ecosystem, the country must ensure that the people operating these services have the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding of road safety .
