No More Sermons on the Move: Ghana Tightens the Law on Trotro Preaching and Hawking

For years, it has been one of the defining soundtracks of Ghana's roads: a preacher rising mid-journey in a packed trotro, Bible in hand, delivering a sermon over the hum of the engine, while a hawker weaves through the aisle selling sachet water, plantain chips or phone chargers.

Now, under a newly enforced legal regime, that familiar scene could land offenders a fine or jail time.

The Law, Old and New
Preaching and hawking in moving public or commercial vehicles has technically been illegal in Ghana since 2012, under Regulation 116 of the Road Traffic Regulations (L.I. 2180), which barred causing or permitting "nuisance, including preaching and hawking, in a public or commercial vehicle while the vehicle is in motion."

In practice, however, enforcement was largely absent, allowing the practice to continue and fuelling the debate that persists today.

That changes with the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519), which followed the passage of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1153) and has now come into force.

Regulation 141 of the new instrument makes causing or permitting a nuisance including preaching or hawking in a public or commercial vehicle while it is in motion a punishable offence. Violators face a fine of 10 to 50 penalty units, or imprisonment for up to eight months a considerably tougher stance than the largely dormant 2012 rule.

A related provision, Section 142, bars selling, displaying or delivering goods on or alongside roads and pedestrian walkways, carrying its own fine of up to 50 penalty units or up to three months in prison.

Road Safety as the Official Rationale
Authorities have framed the crackdown squarely as a road safety measure rather than a religious one. The government says the new rules target activities that may distract drivers or passengers on moving commercial vehicles, and the Ministry of Transport has begun nationwide public education urging road users, commercial drivers and passengers to familiarise themselves with the updated regulations.

Officials and legal commentators have stressed that the law is religion-neutral, applying equally to noise-making, preaching or hawking regardless of faith.

A Recurring Public Debate
The tension between passenger safety and religious expression is not new to Ghanaian public discourse. Christian evangelism draws heavily on the Great Commission's call to "make disciples of all nations," a mandate some preachers have long argued extends even to a moving trotro.

Legal analysts, however, note that Ghanaian scripture-adjacent counsel around respect for authority sits alongside the law's plain text, which prioritises order, safety and passenger comfort over unrestricted religious expression in transit.

The friction has occasionally spilled into public confrontation including a widely shared video of a physical altercation after a preacher refused to stop mid-sermon on a trotro, underscoring how divisive enforcement can get in practice.

What Changes on the Ground
With L.I. 2519 now active, the offences schedule is being used as a live reference for enforcement and prosecution a marked shift from over a decade of largely symbolic legislation.

For Accra and Kumasi commuters accustomed to sermons, gospel CD sales and snack vendors as part of the trotro experience, the question now is less about the letter of the law and more about whether the state will finally back it with consistent enforcement.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)

[email protected]
+233555275880

Sources
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3News, "New road traffic regulations 2026: The full list of offences, fines, and penalties," https://3news.com/news/new-road-traffic-regulations-2026-the-full-list-of-offences-fines-and-penalties

Graphic Online, "New road traffic regulations 2026: The full list of offences, fines, and penalties," https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/new-road-traffic-regulations-2026-the-full-list-of-offences-fines-and-penalties.html

ModernGhana, "Preaching in Public Transport: Law, Faith and Freedom," https://www.modernghana.com/news/1419619/preaching-in-public-transport-law-faith-and-free.html

Pulse Ghana, "New Road Traffic Regulations L.I. 2519: List of offences, penalties and jail terms you need to know," https://www.pulse.com.gh/story/new-road-traffic-regulations-li-2519-list-of-offences-penalties-and-jail-terms-you-need-to-know-2026091807093555414

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GhanaWeb, "Know about the law that makes preaching, selling in 'trotro' punishable," https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Know-about-the-law-that-makes-preaching-selling-in-lsquo-trotro-rsquo-punishable-1885562