Okada riders must be taken through regular counselling — Nana Yaa Jantuah

Presidential Staffer Nana Yaa Jantuah has called for regular counselling sessions for commercial motorcycle riders as Ghana moves closer to the formal legalisation of Okada operations.

She said counselling, alongside training, will help address reckless riding and improve safety on the roads.

Speaking on Accra-based TV3 on Friday, December 19, Nana Yaa Jantuah stressed the need to understand the mindset of riders, many of whom turn to Okada riding due to unemployment.

“Apart from training, they also need counselling, because sometimes the way these Okada drivers behave on the road, you wonder if everything is alright,” she said.

Her comments come in the wake of Parliament’s approval of the Okada Bill on Thursday, December 11, which paves the way for the regulation of motorcycles and tricycles, subject to presidential assent.

The bill introduces safety measures, including mandatory protective gear, as part of efforts to integrate the sector into the formal transport system.

Nana Yaa Jantuah said some riders show little regard for their own safety, a situation she believes points to deeper behavioural challenges.

“The way they ride is as if they have no consciousness to be safe, either for themselves or for others, and that mindset must be addressed,” she added.

She urged authorities to prioritise behavioural change as part of the broader implementation of the new law.