Okada Operations to Be Legalised in Ghana as Parliament Passes Bill
- The Parliament has passed the Road Traffic Amendment Bill 2025, legalising the use of motorcycles, tricycles, and quadricycles for commercial purposes
- The bill also introduces stricter penalties for offenders and aims to reduce drunk driving incidents, while improving road safety and creating employment
- The legislation is seen as a fulfillment of President John Mahama's promise to Okada riders, who played a significant role in his 2024 electoral campaign
The Parliament of Ghana has passed the Road Traffic Amendment Bill 2025, which was recently laid before the House by the Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe.
The passage of the bill will legalise the use of motorcycles (popularly known as Okada), tricycles, and quadricycles for commercial purposes.
Source: UGC
According to a report by Citinewsroom, the bill also sets a higher limit for the determination of alcohol concentration in drivers to reduce incidents of drunk driving and accidents that occur as a result of drunk driving.
The Road Traffic Amendment Bill 2025 is expected to create employment for Ghana's teeming youth, improve road safety, and offer comprehensive regulation of the road transport industry.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, Joseph Nikpe Bukari explained that the new bill seeks to sanitise road transport services, strengthen safety, and introduce stricter penalties for offenders.
“The Road Traffic Amendment Bill seeks to sanitise road transport services. We have had several issues involving road users, and this bill aims to introduce stricter punishment, enhance safety measures, and ensure the effective and efficient use of our roads,” he said
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President Mahama fulfills promise to Okada riders
The passage of the bill was done in fulfilment of President John Dramani Mahama's promise to Okada operators in Ghana.
While campaigning to be elected as President of Ghana in the 2024 elections, then-candidate Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) pledged to legalise the operations of Okada for commercial purposes.
This, he said at the time, would be aimed at creating more employment opportunities for Ghanaian youth.
In response to this promise, the Okada Riders Association declared their support for the NDC and joined the party to canvass for votes across every nook and cranny of Ghana.
On the day of the 2024 elections, December 7, 2024, the Okada riders played a major role in the NDC's victory, offering their services to transport voters to and from remote and hard-to-reach areas to cast their ballots.
With Parliament paving the way to make their operations legal, the Okada riders will now be expecting President Mahama to assent to the Road Traffic Amendment Bill 2025 as soon as it reaches his desk.
Source: Facebook
Sam George rescues Okada courier operators
YEN.com.gh reported that Sam George, the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation halted the enforcement of the regulation requiring Okada courier riders to have licenses
The Ghana Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Commission began targeting unlicensed courier operators on August 20, 2025.
The minister released a statement explaining why the enforcement has been halted following complaints from couriers.
Source: YEN.com.gh
