Legalise Okada to enforce helmet use and speed cameras – NRSA urges Parliament
The Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Mr Abraham Amaliba, has urged Parliament to legalise commercial motorcycle operations and pass the necessary laws to support the use of traffic enforcement technologies such as speed cameras and spot fines.
Mr Amaliba made the appeal on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, during an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, warning that Ghana’s current road safety measures are ineffective without legal backing.
“We’ve brought in road safety technology cameras, radar systems, but they’re sitting idle because we do not have the enabling law,” he said. “The law must be passed for these things to work. Otherwise, it's a waste.”
He called on lawmakers to fast-track legislation that would enable the use of speed detection devices, the issuing of instant fines, and the sharing of traffic violation data with the police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
According to Mr Amaliba, the failure to prosecute offences captured by speed cameras is fuelling lawlessness on the roads.
“If the law says you can only prosecute when a policeman physically arrests someone, then all these technologies become useless,” he said.
Mr Amaliba also linked the absence of appropriate legislation to the lack of regulation of motorcycle taxis, commonly known as *Okada*. He said legalising their operations would create the conditions needed to enforce helmet use, rider training, and motorcycle roadworthiness.
“We do not have standardised helmets in use currently,” he noted. “When there’s a crash, sometimes they don’t die from the impact but from the helmet itself, it breaks and crushes their head.”
He added that because Okada remains illegal, many riders flee from police checkpoints out of fear of arrest.
“You may see a rider jumping a red light not because he doesn’t know the rule, but because he fears the police will seize his key,” Mr Amaliba said.
He maintained that legalising motorcycle transport would give the NRSA, DVLA, and Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) the mandate to train riders and enforce safety measures, particularly in peri-urban areas where motorcycles have become a major means of transport.
“Okada" has become a transport mode for many communities. We can’t ignore it. Once legalised, we can regulate it properly,” he said.
Official figures cited by Mr Amaliba indicate that 750 motorcycle-related deaths were recorded across the country in the first quarter of 2025.
He called on Parliament to treat road safety as a national priority and support laws that will allow modern enforcement tools to be used to reduce fatalities.
