Before the morning rush begins, the sound of praise and worship fills the Neoplan bus station in Ghana’s capital. A group of Christians gathers to prepare to evangelise on vehicles taking travellers across the country. Amid drumming and dancing, Boateng Bismark James leads 13 worshippers — nine men and four women — in prayer for drivers and passengers travelling to destinations across Ghana.
It is a scene that has played out for years in this devout West African nation, where 71% of the population identifies as Christian, according to the 2021 census. On long-distance buses, pastors can often be seen — and heard — preaching the gospel, sometimes standing in the stairwell next to the driver, at others walking up and down the aisle reading from the Bible and calling on sinners to repent at the tops of their voices. They do not stop even if the trip lasts for several hours. The faithful sometimes offer money to the preachers to support their endeavours.
But a new law means this familiar practice could be coming to an end.
The law and its penalties
Anyone found preaching in public service vehicles now faces up to eight months in prison, a fine of up to $52 (£39) or both. The new regulation, passed by parliament in May, and which has started to be enforced in recent weeks, targets preaching and hawking on vehicles while they are in motion, classifying both as a nuisance and citing the safety and comfort of passengers.
The legal framework is the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), which followed the passage of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1153), assented to by President John Dramani Mahama on December 24, 2025. Parliament subsequently approved the regulations on May 28, 2026. Regulation 141 specifically prohibits “causing or permitting a nuisance, including preaching and hawking, on a public or commercial vehicle while the vehicle is moving”.
Offenders face fines of between 10 and 50 penalty units — translating to between GH¢120 and GH¢600 (approximately $10 to $52) — or imprisonment for up to eight months, or both, depending on the circumstances of the offence. One penalty unit is currently valued at GH¢12.
This is not an entirely new prohibition. Preaching and hawking in moving public or commercial vehicles has technically been illegal in Ghana since 2012, under Regulation 116 of the Road Traffic Regulations (L.I. 2180), which barred causing or permitting “nuisance, including preaching and hawking, in a public or commercial vehicle while the vehicle is in motion.” Offenders then faced up to 30 days in prison. But enforcement was weak and so the practice remained common, particularly on buses.
A pastor’s calling — and income
Boateng, a 61-year-old pastor at Gospel Light church, has been preaching on commercial vehicles leaving Neoplan station since 2023.
“I preach on commercial vehicles because not everyone is able to go to church on Sunday. There are a lot of passengers who need our message of salvation to repent from their sins. We even heal the sick on some buses,” he told the BBC in Twi, a local language.
Wearing a clerical collared shirt, Boateng moves through rows of buses loading passengers before boarding one bound for Kumasi, Ghana’s second-largest city. The BBC spoke to him before the bus departed to avoid breaking the law. Some travellers listen closely as he delivers his message. Others try to ignore him, browsing their phones, making calls or chatting among themselves.
“Some passengers are very happy with my message. Some even say they have never heard the message in church, but through my preaching they now know it is in the Bible,” he says.
For Boateng, preaching is not only a religious calling but also an important source of income. “I have been able to take care of my children’s education. My last-born just completed university, and half of the financial support came from money I got from preaching,” he said. He is now urging the government to grant religious preachers an exemption.
“We are very worried, because most pastors here depend on preaching to take care of their families through the monetary gifts offered by passengers,” he says. “The government should allow us to preach on the buses and alight when it is exiting Accra”.
Divided opinion
The new rules have divided opinion in Ghana, a country ranked among the most religious in the world.
Critics say preaching on moving vehicles is a nuisance and a safety risk, as it could distract the driver, while supporters argue that evangelism is a Christian duty and should be protected under the freedom of religious worship.
Chery Lokko, a woman in her early 30s, says she prefers to travel in peace. “I don’t like it because they are a nuisance. Some of them spit saliva on you unconsciously, especially if you are seated not far from them, and they are a nuisance in terms of noise and saliva. I like my peace whenever I’m on public transport”.
In one video widely shared on social media recently, a passenger on a minibus is seen angrily confronting a pastor attempting to board. “Get down, I say get down,” he shouts.
But others say evangelism on public transport is an important way of reaching people who may not attend church. Bernice Nartey, a passenger travelling to Kumasi, says pastors should be allowed to preach, but only with passengers’ consent.
“The preaching sometimes helps people to repent. For instance, if someone is going through a stressful situation, the message of the pastor can give the person renewed hope,” she says.
Religious freedom debate
Ghana’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion under Articles 21 and 26 of the 1992 Constitution, although those rights are subject to considerations including public safety and the rights and freedoms of others.
The Christian Council of Ghana did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment. But Rev Enoch Paul Hayes, a senior pastor at the International Central Gospel Church, one of the biggest churches in Ghana, told the BBC he does not think the new rules infringe on religious freedom. He urged his fellow pastors not to break the law, saying they should find other ways of spreading their message.
“There is social media as an alternative outlet, where the same message can reach thousands of people,” he says.
Enforcement and awareness
The Ministry of Transport has launched a nationwide public education campaign to inform drivers, passengers and other road users about the updated requirements. Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe said earlier this month: “We want every driver, road user, and person who is in the transport industry to understand clearly what this law means and also how it is going to be operationalised”.
The government has framed the crackdown squarely as a road safety measure rather than a religious one. The regulations classify activities such as preaching and hawking inside a moving public or commercial vehicle as forms of nuisance. The restriction forms part of the wider road-safety framework aimed at reducing distractions and disturbances that could affect passengers, drivers and the safe operation of vehicles. The provision is not targeted at any particular religion.
Preachers using megaphones at Ghana’s lorry parks and markets are not affected by the ban, which applies specifically to moving public service vehicles.
A regional trend?
Ghana is not alone in grappling with this issue. Nigeria’s parliament has also considered a similar law which would restrict preaching on buses for safety reasons. The Nigerian Senate recently clarified that the prohibition of preaching and hawking inside commercial vehicles was not a new provision, noting that the offences have existed in Nigerian law since 2007 under the Federal Road Safety Commission (Establishment) Act.
The controversy in Nigeria has been particularly heated, with the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria vowing that Christians will continue to propagate the gospel inside commercial buses. A proposed amendment bill would impose a ₦50,000 fine, six months in prison, or both, for anyone convicted of preaching, hawking or trading inside commercial vehicles.
For Boateng and other bus preachers in Ghana, the new rules create a difficult choice between adapting their ministry, giving up an important source of income, or risking falling foul of the law. With the regulation now actively enforced, the familiar sound of sermons on Ghana’s long-distance buses may soon become a thing of the past.
