Majority Chief Whip and South Dayi MP, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, has dismissed claims that legalizing commercial motorbike operations in Ghana could worsen the country’s road crash statistics.
His comments come in the wake of provisional data from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), which revealed that 2,949 people died in 14,743 road traffic crashes across Ghana between January and December 2025 — a sharp increase compared to 2024.
Motorcycles featured prominently in the statistics. In December 2025 alone, 660 motorcycles were involved in crashes, accounting for 27 percent of total incidents, up from 488 motorcycles in December 2024 — a 33 percent rise.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, January 26, Dafeamekpor drew parallels with neighboring Togo, where motorcycles have long been a major mode of transport.
He noted that the strict regulatory system in place there has fostered discipline among riders, reducing reckless behavior on the roads.
Dafeamekpor stressed that with the right regulatory framework, Ghanaian riders can operate professionally while observing safety rules, which will ultimately reduce accidents.
“Motor riding in Togo has been regularised long before now. So it is a certain culture that has been inculcated in the people that yes by all means you are on the motorbike but you must observe the road traffic regulations.
“It is the same thing we are borrowing here, that it is time that we regularise the use of motorbikes for commercial purposes on our roads.
“We are inculcating in the people the fact that you can use motorbikes for professional purposes, but you must do so within certain regulations. It is up to the implementation agencies now to give effect to what Parliament has recently given to the National Road Safety Authority to implement,” he said.
