The Ghanaian government has suspended the implementation of a road traffic regulation that restricted preaching and hawking inside moving public and commercial vehicles. This decision comes after public criticism, including an appeal by Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, who urged President John Dramani Mahama to scrap the restriction. The regulation, under L.I. 2519, prohibited preaching and hawking on a public or commercial vehicle while it was in motion.
The Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), provided for a fine of 10 to 50 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢120–GH¢600, imprisonment for up to eight months, or both. The Ministry of Transport had launched a nationwide public education campaign on the revised road traffic rules in September, describing the broader reforms as part of efforts to improve road safety, enforcement, and compliance. The rule applied specifically to preaching and hawking inside moving public or commercial vehicles but not to a general prohibition on preaching in churches or other public places.
Rev. John Ntim Fordjour had expressed concerns that the practice of preaching in moving vehicles could expose pastors and evangelists to imprisonment. He appealed to President Mahama to intervene, questioning why the practice should be considered a nuisance. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Rev. Ntim Fordjour shared his experience of evangelizing and preaching freely in commercial buses in Tarkwa around 2007 and expressed his willingness to continue preaching in public spaces.
The MP for Assin South also questioned whether the measure reflected the President's position and declared that he would continue preaching in public spaces. He wrote that he would not be deterred by anti-preaching regulations and would continue to preach Jesus in buses, on the street, on campuses, in markets, and wherever he finds souls. Rev. Ntim Fordjour's appeal to the President was to abandon the bogus regulation that sought to jail innocent pastors and evangelists for preaching in buses.
The government has reportedly suspended enforcement of the restrictions on preaching and hawking inside moving public and commercial vehicles. However, further official clarification on the suspension is needed. Details of the suspension will follow soon. The suspension comes after public criticism of the regulation, including Rev. Ntim Fordjour's appeal to President Mahama.
President Mahama has since clarified the restriction on preaching in moving vehicles, stating that people can preach when the vehicle is stationed. This clarification comes after the government suspended the implementation of the ban. The development is a relief to pastors and evangelists who were concerned about the implications of the regulation on their work.
The suspension of the ban on preaching and hawking in moving vehicles is a significant development in Ghana. The government will need to engage with stakeholders to review the regulation and find a solution that balances road safety concerns with the rights of individuals to preach and express themselves.
Key points
- The Ghanaian government has suspended the implementation of a ban on preaching and hawking in moving public and commercial vehicles due to public criticism.
- The ban, under L.I. 2519, had provided for a fine of GH¢120–GH¢600, imprisonment for up to eight months, or both.
- President Mahama has clarified that people can preach when the vehicle is stationed.
