Ghana road safety crisis prompts calls for public health emergency status

Experts and educators are calling for a fundamental shift in how Ghana addresses its escalating road safety crisis. Appiah Kusi Adomako, Director of the West Africa Regional Centre of CUTS International, has urged the government to declare road crashes a public health emergency. He noted that more than 2,500 people died in road crashes in Ghana last year, averaging approximately eight deaths per day.

Adomako argued that the national response to road fatalities lacks the urgency and resource allocation seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. He pointed out that while the government mobilized significant financial and institutional resources to manage COVID-19, road safety has not received comparable investment despite a higher death toll.

Other advocates emphasize the need to move from reactive measures to proactive prevention. While the Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority has described the loss of life as ‘unprecedented’ and ‘unacceptable,’ discussions continue regarding the role of enforcement. There are concerns that visible enforcement by the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) must be balanced to avoid accusations of harassment and extortion, which have previously led to personnel being withdrawn from the roads.