The Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has assured Ghanaians that state agencies responsible for road safety will work together to implement a robust helmet standard to enhance the safety of motorcycle riders.
Mr Nikpe said having already developed the helmet safety standards in collaboration with the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the Transport Ministry together with its agencies, particularly the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), was working with other stakeholders to create awareness on its enforcement.
He added that after the passage of the Road Traffic Amendment Bill 2025 to legalise the commercial use of motorcycles (Okada), tricycles and quadricycles, the NRSA was collaborating with the Motor Traffic and Transport Division (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service to educate motorcycle riders on the provisions of the new legislation.
"From now until December, the sensitisation and awareness creation will go on; then the enforcement will follow afterwards," Mr Nikpe said.
The Transport Minister made this known at the opening of a three-day Safe African Helmets Initiative (SAHI) summit held in Accra last Wednesday.
The SAHI Summit 2026 was co-hosted by FIA Foundation, Transaid and the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA).
The SAHI Summit brought together countries from Africa, including Cameroun, Rwanda, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Côte d'Ivoire, and focused on safe, affordable motorcycle helmets for all.
The summit explored the challenges and barriers policymakers and practitioners face in improving motorcycle safety.
The Chief of Staff, Dr Julius Debrah, launched the summit.
Context
Statistics on road safety in Africa indicate a 17 per cent increase in road deaths, while overall global road deaths have slightly dropped.
Motorcycle numbers have grown massively, from just seven million in 2011 to an estimated 30 million currently.
Motorcyclists represent 35 per cent of all deaths on Africa's roads and just over a quarter of Ghanaian road deaths.
The statistics also show that a quality helmet, properly worn, increases the chance of survival by six times and reduces head injuries by 69 per cent.
In Ghana, Parliament passed the Road Traffic Amendment Bill 2025 on December 11, 2025, to legalise and regulate commercial motorcycles (Okada), tricycles (Pragia), and quadricycles.
Under SAHI, Transaid is providing technical assistance, working with the GSA Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, and NRSA to support the implementation of the new helmet standard.
The project aims to raise awareness of the standard and improve access to certified helmets in the Ghanaian market.
Collaboration
Mr Nikpe said the increasing number of road crash deaths related to motorcycles was alarming and needed to be tackled with proactive policies and safe helmets.
"Statistics show that in 2025 alone, 2,949 people died through road traffic crashes, with 1,345 of those deaths occurring through motorcycles.
“This is not palatable, and that is why we need to take serious steps to address the menace," he said.
For his part, Dr Debrah said the government was committed to supporting the NRSA to implement programmes that would help to streamline the operation of commercial motorcycles and enhance road safety in general.
"The government is committed to doing this because if you lose a life through carelessness on the road, it affects families and the country.
Every head deserves a safe helmet, and we must ensure that all motor riders wear one,” he said.
He described the SAHI as a great project that needed the support of all state agencies in Ghana and the African continent.
