Learn from Rwanda, Togo and Others: Ambassador Bonaparte Cautions Ghana’s Transport Ministry on “Okada” Legalization

The debate over the legalization of commercial motorcycles popularly known as "OKADA" has once again found its way to the center of Ghana’s transport policy discourse. Rising urban congestion, youth unemployment, and the inefficiencies of public transport have combined to make the issue emotionally charged and politically sensitive. It is against this backdrop that my call of caution to the Ministry of Transport deserves serious attention, not dismissal.

In Ghana a pedestrian gets insulted for trying to cross a road from the "zebra crossing" point by these Okada drivers whiles from other cited jurisdictions, even "Dogs" are given priority of crossing the road.

There is no denying the economic argument. For thousands of young Ghanaians, commercial motorcycling represents quick entry into income generation in a constrained job market. In peri-urban and rural communities, motorcycles provide last-mile connectivity where buses and taxis rarely go. To pretend otherwise would be disingenuous. However, acknowledging economic utility is not the same as endorsing unregulated legality.

Rwanda, Togo, and other African countries offer valuable lessons Ghana cannot afford to ignore. In Rwanda, commercial motorcycles are legal, but legality comes at a price: strict regulation. Riders are trained, registered, insured, uniformed, and digitally monitored. Helmets are compulsory for both riders and passengers, and enforcement is uncompromising. Motorcycles operate as a controlled component of the transport ecosystem not as a law unto themselves.

Togo’s experience reinforces the same principle. There, motorcycle taxis function within clearly defined regulatory frameworks, often organized under recognized associations that enforce discipline among members. The state does not merely legalize; it governs. As a result, motorcycles serve mobility needs without undermining public safety or urban order.

Ghana’s current reality presents a stark contrast. Where "OKADA" operates informally, it has been linked to rising road fatalities, disregard for traffic laws, and security concerns, including its use in street crime. Legalization without firm safeguards risks normalizing these dangers rather than resolving them. My warning, therefore, is not an attack on livelihoods but a call for responsible governance.

The Ministry of Transport must resist the lure of populist solutions. Legalizing "OKADA" purely on economic or political grounds, without a robust regulatory architecture, would be a costly mistake. Training standards, licensing, insurance, rider identification, route restrictions, and technological oversight are not optional extras they are prerequisites. Without them, legalization becomes an endorsement of disorder.

Beyond regulation lies an even more critical question: what is Ghana’s long-term transport vision? Rwanda treats commercial motorcycles as a complementary and transitional solution, not a replacement for efficient mass transit. Ghana must do the same. If Okada legalization is not tied to sustained investment in buses, rail, and integrated urban transport systems, the country risks entrenching informality as policy rather than progressing toward modern mobility.

My counsel to “learn from others” is both timely and wise. Nations that have succeeded did so by placing safety, discipline, and planning above short-term political gain. Those that failed allowed urgency to override strategy.

As Ghana has legalized "okada", it must do so with clear rules, firm enforcement, and a broader vision for national transport development. Anything less would not be reform it would be capitulation.