The Ghana Chamber of Clean Energy (GCCE) has welcomed the passage of the Road Traffic Amendment Bill, 2025, describing it as a significant policy development in Ghana's transport sector and a strategic opportunity to accelerate the deployment and local manufacturing of two- and three-wheel electric motorcycles in the country.
The bill, popularly referred to as the Okada Bill, amends the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683) to, among other things, legalise the commercial use of motorcycles, tricycles, and quadricycles, while also introducing strengthened road safety provisions. Parliament passed the legislation under a Certificate of Urgency, citing the need to regulate a transport segment that has expanded rapidly across the country.
In a press statement, Mr Seth Owusu-Mante, Founder and Executive Director of GCCE, said the legalisation of commercial motorcycles and light vehicles formally recognises a mode of transport that plays an important role in urban mobility, informal logistics and delivery services, last-mile connectivity, and employment creation, particularly in Ghana's cities and peri-urban areas. The chamber noted that the move provides an opportunity to introduce structure, safety standards, and long-term planning to a sector that has largely operated informally.
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From a clean energy perspective, GCCE noted that the bill creates a strategic opportunity to accelerate the deployment and local manufacturing of electric mobility solutions, particularly within the two- and three-wheeler segment. The chamber observed that commercial motorcycles, tricycles, and quadricycles account for a growing share of vehicle kilometres travelled in Ghana's urban centres and are predominantly powered by combustion engines. This contributes to urban air pollution, public health challenges, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and noise pollution.
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Mr Owusu-Mante emphasised that the formal recognition of the commercial motorcycle sector under law provides an important policy lever to shape how the sector evolves. Rather than remaining emissions-intensive, the sector can now be guided toward cleaner, safer, and more efficient technologies through targeted standards, policy incentives, and effective enforcement mechanisms.
GCCE further highlighted that effective implementation of the bill, particularly if it includes the targeted deployment of electric motorcycles, could unlock broader benefits such as reduced urban air pollution and its associated public health risks. It could also lower operating costs for riders through reduced fuel and maintenance expenses, while creating new jobs across assembly, maintenance, battery services, and charging infrastructure.
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The chamber also noted that developing a local electric mobility value chain could position Ghana as a regional hub for the manufacturing and export of electric two- and three-wheelers and related components to other African markets. This aligns with Ghana's broader energy transition and economic development goals.
Additionally, the chamber indicated that it will study the Road Traffic Amendment Bill, 2025 in detail as part of its policy and regulatory review process. GCCE stated that it looks forward to working closely with its members, government, parliament, regulators, metropolitan and municipal authorities, transport unions, manufacturers, financiers, and development partners to support the accelerated manufacturing, deployment, and scaling of electric motorcycles, tricycles, and quadricycles in a safe, environmentally responsible, and economically inclusive manner that supports job creation and Ghana's economic growth.
The writer is the Founder and Executive Director of the Ghana Chamber of Clean Energy.
