On October 10, 2026, President Mahama addressed the media to clarify the government's stance on preaching in vehicles. He stated that the government hasn't placed a ban on preaching in stationary vehicles but rather in moving ones. According to President Mahama, the ban is intended to prevent preaching or selling in moving vehicles, regardless of one's faith.
The clarification comes after reports circulated indicating that the government had banned preaching in vehicles. Concerns had been raised about the regulation's potential impact on religious expression and evangelism in commercial vehicles. The Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519) increased the jail term for persons found preaching or hawking in moving commercial vehicles from 30 days to between three and eight months.
Offenders will also face a fine ranging from 10 to 50 penalty units, which translates to between GH¢120 and GH¢600. The revised regulations maintain the 10 to 50 penalty unit fine but extend the maximum prison sentence to eight months. The regulations prohibit causing or permitting a nuisance, including preaching and hawking, on a public or commercial vehicle while it is in motion.
The Ghana Police Service has postponed the full implementation of the automated traffic law enforcement programme, TRAFFITECH-GH, from October 1 to November 1. This decision allows for more extensive public awareness and education on the programme, including its operations, the traffic offences to be detected, and the Electronic Notices of Violation (ENV) to be issued to offending motorists.
The TRAFFITECH-GH programme has been designed to assist the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) to detect traffic offences on the country's roads through cameras and Personal Data Assistant (PDA) devices. Vehicle owners or drivers will be issued Electronic Notices of Violation (ENV) after their offences are reviewed.
The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has warned that abandoned vehicles on roads that are not promptly towed will be auctioned by the government. Vehicle owners will be required to subscribe to a towing service or obtain an insurance policy that includes towing cover. Owners will be given seven days' notice before the auction takes place after the vehicle has been abandoned for 21 days.
The NRSA's Director of Registration, Inspection and Compliance, Kwame Koduah Attuahene, noted that the upcoming system would not exclude motorists, adding that vehicles must be towed immediately. The law requires that every vehicle owner subscribe to a towing service company or buy an insurance policy that has a towing service tied to it.
Key points
- President Mahama clarifies that the ban is on preaching in moving vehicles, not stationary ones.
- The Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519) increase jail terms and fines for preaching or hawking in moving commercial vehicles.
- The TRAFFITECH-GH programme aims to detect traffic offences on Ghana's roads through cameras and PDA devices.
