The government has stepped up its road-safety campaign as Ghana grapples with a sharp rise in road deaths, with the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) reporting 2,949 fatalities from 14,743 road crashes in 2025.
The figure, the highest recorded in 35 years, has intensified calls for stronger enforcement and safer behaviour on the country’s roads, particularly as commercial motorcycle and tricycle operations are being brought under a new regulatory framework.
It was against this backdrop that the “Safe Journey” 2026 Road Safety Campaign was launched in Accra by the Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, in partnership with the NRSA and Somoco Ghana Limited.
The campaign, which runs through December, is focused particularly on motorcycle and tricycle users and seeks to promote rider education, training, licensing, the use of helmets and protective equipment, and responsible road use.
Launching the campaign, Mr Nikpe said road safety could not be reduced to enforcement alone, arguing that protecting lives required responsibility from every category of road user.
“Road safety is not merely about enforcing laws; it is about protecting lives, preserving families and creating a culture of responsibility among every road user,” he said.
The Minister’s message assumes added significance as Ghana moves towards the regulated operation of commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada.
He challenged commercial riders to justify the government’s decision to legalise their operations by demonstrating that the sector could provide livelihoods without worsening the country’s road-safety crisis.
“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,” Mr Nikpe said.
He urged prospective commercial motorcycle, tricycle and quadricycle operators to undergo approved training, obtain the necessary licences and treat helmets and other protective equipment as non-negotiable requirements.
NRSA warns against dangerous riding practices
The Director-General of the NRSA, Abraham Amaliba, said the campaign was part of efforts to ensure that the expansion of motorcycle and tricycle services did not come at the cost of lives.
Mr Amaliba said motorcycles and tricycles had become important to Ghana’s economy by improving mobility, supporting trade and commerce and creating employment, but stressed that those benefits had to be accompanied by responsible road use.
He identified speeding, reckless overtaking, ignoring traffic signals, riding without protective gear, riding under the influence of alcohol or drugs and improperly carrying passengers among the practices contributing to serious crashes.
“Motorcycles have been manufactured to ease mobility, not to kill us,” Mr Amaliba said, urging riders to avoid practices that expose themselves and other road users to unnecessary danger.
He said the NRSA was working with the Ministry of Transport, Ghana Police Service, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), local authorities, transport unions, rider associations, traditional and community leaders, civil society organisations, private-sector partners and the media to strengthen road-safety interventions.
2,949 people killed in 2025
The urgency of the campaign is underscored by the latest national road-crash statistics.
NRSA figures show that 14,743 road crashes were recorded in 2025, involving 24,938 vehicles and resulting in 2,949 deaths and 16,714 injuries.
The number of crashes increased by 9.3 per cent from 13,489 in 2024, while fatalities rose by 18.2 per cent, from 2,494 to 2,949.
Injuries also increased by 7.1 per cent, while pedestrian knockdowns rose by seven per cent to 2,561.
The NRSA described the 2025 fatality figure as a major warning, with the deaths representing the highest annual road-fatality figure recorded in the country in 35 years.
The authority’s figures for January to August 2025 had already shown a worrying trend, with 1,937 people killed in 9,626 crashes during the period.
Technology to strengthen enforcement
The campaign is also coming alongside plans to increase the use of technology in road-safety enforcement.
Mr Nikpe has announced plans for the deployment of “Traffic Tech”, a surveillance system expected to be introduced in early 2027 to identify traffic violations through cameras.
According to the Minister, the system will be linked to a new vehicle-number-plate system and is expected to identify offences and send penalties to motorists electronically.
The move is intended to complement conventional enforcement by the Ghana Police Service and make it easier to identify motorists who breach traffic regulations.
Private sector joins road-safety effort
The campaign is being supported by Somoco Ghana Limited, the Ministry of Transport, NRSA, DVLA and the Ghana Police Service.
Somoco Managing Director, Nii Ayi Hyde, said the company’s responsibility as a major mobility provider extended beyond putting motorcycles and tricycles on the road.
He said the company was supporting rider education and training as part of efforts to make safety an integral part of motorcycle ownership and use.
The company’s interventions include the Somoco Riding Academy, rider education, licensing support, promotion of helmets and protective gear and community-level safety outreach.
Somoco also donated a Bajaj Boxer 125 HD motorcycle to the NRSA to support its road-safety activities.
For Mr Nikpe, however, the campaign ultimately depends on the choices made by individual road users.
He urged drivers and riders to exercise patience, observe speed limits, avoid reckless driving and never operate vehicles under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
He also called on pedestrians, passengers and other road users to recognise their own responsibilities, saying safer roads could not be achieved by government agencies alone.
“Every road user has a role to play. Every responsible decision can save a life,” the Minister said.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
