Afrikania Mission supports restrictions on preaching in moving vehicles

The Afrikania Mission has expressed support for Regulation 141 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026, which prohibits preaching and hawking in public or commercial vehicles while they are in motion. Osofo Komfo Atsu Kove, Head of the Afrikania Mission, stated that the practice can lead to confrontations among passengers and exposes African Traditional Religion to denigrating remarks.

Kove noted that some preachers use commercial vehicles to make provocative statements against other religious traditions, such as calling idol worship foolishness. He argued that public commercial vehicles should not be treated as church auditoriums.

Under the updated regulatory framework, offenders face fines of 10 to 50 penalty units, imprisonment for up to eight months, or both. While the restriction is not new, the revised regulations increase the maximum custodial sentence. The government recently suspended the implementation of this provision following public concerns regarding religious expression and evangelism. President John Dramani Mahama clarified that the restriction applies specifically to moving vehicles rather than those stationed at terminals.