Mr Joseph Bukari Nikpe, the Minister of Transport, has assured the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) that the Government will help address its operational challenges to enhance national road safety enforcement.
He said the Ministry was aware of the difficulties the NRSA faced, particularly in funding, logistics and human resources and was taking steps to ensure that the Authority had the resources to operate at full capacity.
“We are aware of the challenges, but like I said, we will support you to get fully operational so that you can have the power to bite. That will give you a lot of leverage to work freely.” Mr Nikpe said on Tuesday during a visit to the NRSA’s headquarters in Accra.
He encouraged the Authority’s leadership and staff to remain committed to their work despite the challenges, adding that with dedication and perseverance, their current struggles would soon become success stories.
Mr Nikpe said the NRSA was constrained by financial limitations, particularly the capping of its funds, which had restricted its ability to generate revenue and recruit staff.
He said the Ministry would engage relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Finance, to explore the possibility of removing these financial bottlenecks.
“If we are able to remove all these bottlenecks of capping and your funds are released to you, you will be in a better position to handle some of your own operational challenges,” he said.
Mr Nikpe noted that the NRSA, like many other agencies under the Ministry, was facing a shortage of operational vehicles, which affected its ability to monitor road safety compliance.
On office space constraints, the Minister assured the NRSA leadership that discussions were ongoing to find a solution.
Mr Nikpe urged the NRSA to strengthen its collaboration with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service to intensify road safety campaigns and law enforcement.
“We need to enforce the laws, and I urge you to take the lead. We will work closely with the DVLA to ensure that licenses are not issued to individuals who are unfit to use the roads,” he said.
Mr Abraham Amaliba, Director General of the NRSA, outlined the Authority’s pressing concerns, which included inadequate office space, staffing shortages due to financial clearance constraints, and irregular release of funds from the Road Fund.
He revealed that while the government had shown commitment to addressing these challenges, sustained financial support and proper policy enforcement were necessary to ensure effective road safety regulation.
Mr Amaliba also highlighted the challenge of retaining staff due to uncompetitive salaries.
He called for financial clearance to enable the NRSA to recruit and maintain a sufficient workforce.
The Director General said the Authority had not received new operational vehicles in over five years, making road safety monitoring and enforcement difficult.
On the issue of commercial motorcycle (Okada) operations, Mr Amaliba reaffirmed the government’s intention to legalise it, but stressed that ensuring the safety of riders and road users would be a top priority.
“With the intention to legalise Okada, we are also holding ourselves in readiness to train them to comply with prescribed safety measures. When we say training, we are not teaching them how to ride a motorbike, but rather providing education on road safety,” he said.
He said the Authority was also working on developing a training manual for Okada riders and would be responsible for identifying the uniforms they must wear.
Mr Amaliba assured the Minister that in their next encounter, significant progress would have been made in reducing road crash fatalities and improving enforcement.
The NRSA staff expressed their full support for the Director General and pledged to work diligently to improve road safety.
They also called for attention to be given to regional offices to ensure that road safety officers across the country had the necessary resources to carry out their duties.
GNA