Okada Legalization begins.

The Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has instructed the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to commence registering and licensing motorbikes for commercial use.

In a statement yesterday, February 11, 2025, the Minister said that legalizing motorbikes for commercial use would ensure that motorbike riders strictly adhere to road safety regulations to help reduce motorbike-related crashes and deaths.

Mr. Nikpe, also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Saboba, said legalizing the use of motorbikes for commercial purposes would help reduce indiscipline on the roads.

In 2012, Parliament passed the Road Traffic Regulations to sanitise road transport in the country. Regulations 128 (1), (2), and (3) of LI 2180 prohibit the use of motorbikes or tricycles for commercial purposes. Although this law exists, it has not been strictly enforced, a development that gave a field day for unregulated commercial use of motorbikes, popularly called Okada. In the lead-up to the 2024 elections, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) made a manifesto promise to legalise Okada in the country.

Such a move would require the review of LI 2180 to accommodate motorbikes for commercial use.

In an interview with some journalists after a closed-door meeting with the top management of DVLA, Mr. Nikpe said he had asked the authority to start working on the registration and licensing of motorbikes and motorbike riders as a matter of urgency.

The Minister again said, and I quote, “We are committed to seeing to it that there is a revision of the law to allow the Okada riders to operate commercially and to ensure that our brothers who are in the Okada business will have their own licences and be well trained to be able to transport passengers on our roads safely.”

In a durbar of workers under the Transport Ministry this same day, the Minister assured workers of settling five months unpaid salaries of the then Ministry of Railway Development staff, now under the Transport Ministry. He said the action formed part of his plan to tackle worker welfare, streamline promotional challenges and general staff working conditions. He told the staff that he could only achieve much if workers were well-conditioned and appreciated the task ahead, “knowing that this is the only Ghana we have.”