Road crashes cost Ghana 1.6% of GDP
Ghana's Road Safety Authority has begun a national campaign to improve road safety during the Easter period. This initiative is crucial because road accidents are estimated to cost Ghana 1.6% of its Gross Domestic Product each year. The campaign focuses on educating drivers, riders, and pedestrians on safe practices to reduce crashes and related economic losses.
Ghana's National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), has started a nationwide campaign. This is to make roads safer before the Easter holidays. The campaign runs from March 30 to April 7, 2026. It covers major roads like Accra–Cape Coast and Accra–Kumasi.
This effort aims to reduce road accidents. These accidents have a big economic cost. They are estimated to be 1.6% of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This shows how much money Ghana loses due to crashes.
The campaign teaches road users about safe driving. This includes following speed limits and traffic rules. It also covers using seatbelts and helmets. The goal is to stop distracted or drunk driving.
Road Safety Director Alexander A. Ayatah said this campaign is important. It tackles the increasing number of crashes and deaths. He asked all road users to be careful. Vehicle movement goes up during Easter.
DSP Oppong Kyekyeku from the MTTD said the focus is on education, not just arrests. He noted some drivers go very fast. For example, some drove at 120-150 km/h in a 30 km/h zone on the Shai Hills road. Police also removed certain unapproved lights from vehicles that could cause accidents.
NRSA also noted that lack of money has hurt past campaigns. More money is needed to make these efforts bigger. The goal is to save lives and stop the economic losses from road crashes.
Source: StatsGH — Ghana's data-driven news platform