[REVISION HISTORY]

Ghana suspends ban on preaching and hawking in vehicles

Updated 4 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-12 09:53 UTC → 2026-10-26 16:27 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Under Ghana’s Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L. I. 2519), the government increased penalties for preaching and hawking inside moving public or commercial vehicles. Regulation 141 of the law established fines between 10 and 50 penalty units (GH¢120 to GH¢600) and increased the maximum prison sentence for causing a ‘nuisance’ from three months to eight months. Following significant public backlash and criticism from religious leaders who viewed the rule as an infringement on religious expression, the Ghanaian government suspended the implementation of the regulation. President John Dramani Mahama clarified that the measure was a road safety intervention designed to prevent driver distraction and protect passengers, preachers, and traders from injury during sudden braking. He emphasized that preaching remains permitted when vehicles are stationary at stations. While many religious leaders initially vowed to defy the regulation, some clergy members have since shifted their stance. Apostle Isaac Owusu Bempah of Glorious Word Power Ministries International expressed support for the measure, arguing that the regulation is an existing law focused on road safety rather than an attack on Christian ~~freedoms, noting it only restricts activities while~~ freedoms. Expanding this support, Osofo Komfo Kove, Head of the Afrikania Mission, also backed the restrictions. Kove argued that commercial vehicles ~~are in motion.~~ should not be treated as ‘church auditoriums’ and noted that the practice can lead to passenger confrontations or expose African Traditional Religion to ‘denigrating remarks’ when preachers make provocative statements. The government has initiated further consultations to address stakeholder concerns.

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