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Politics

Police postpone full TRAFFITECH-GH traffic enforcement to 1 November 2026

Motorists get an extra month to learn how the system works, which offences it targets and how electronic notices will be issued.

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Automated traffic policing under TRAFFITECH-GH will now start in full on 1 November 2026, a month later than the 1 October date first given. The Ghana Police Service announced the change in a statement dated Tuesday, 29 September, and said it wants drivers to learn how the system works before penalties begin.

What we know

  • The Ghana Police Service has pushed the full start of TRAFFITECH-GH, its automated traffic enforcement programme, from 1 October to 1 November 2026.
  • Police gave the reason as a need for wider public education on how the system works, which offences it will pick up and how Electronic Notices of Violation will reach offending motorists.
  • The programme is being run through the police Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD). Police describe it as one way of tackling indiscipline on the roads and raising compliance with traffic rules.
  • Police told road users and vehicle owners to spend the additional month getting familiar with the system, and said they will keep working with stakeholders towards a smooth rollout.
  • On Monday, 28 September, the advocacy group CUTS International Accra urged the government to hold back full enforcement until traffic infrastructure at the enforcement sites has been inspected and repaired. It cited damaged, displaced or tree-covered traffic lights and worn lane markings in Accra. “The purpose of TRAFFITECH-GH is safer roads, not tickets arising from traffic lights drivers could not see,” the group added.
  • CUTS said it backs the use of technology to improve compliance and cut crashes. It asked the police and the Department of Urban Roads to check every site from the driver's seat, in daylight, at night and in rain, and to record the state of signals, signs and markings before fines are switched on.
  • CUTS also called for clear speed-limit signs ahead of every speed camera and wherever the limit changes. It pointed to Regulations 211, 212 and 213(3) of L.I. 2519, which deal with general speed limits, limits for certain vehicle classes, and speed cameras with safety signage.
  • CUTS singled out two Accra sites, the Tesano junction by the Police Training Academy and a stretch of the Nsawam-Accra Road near the Apenkwa-Achimota overhead bridge. It said the signals there have reportedly drifted out of drivers' clear view while the cameras appear correctly placed.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

  • Pulse Ghana alone described how enforcement is meant to work: cameras and handheld Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) devices detect offences, police review them, and a notice then goes to the registered vehicle owner, or straight to a driver stopped by an MTTD officer. No other report has set out this process.
  • Only Pulse Ghana reported the payment terms: 14 days to pay or contest online, a daily surcharge of 1 per cent of the original fine after that, and payment through Ghana.gov or by dialling *222# and choosing option 6. These terms have not been confirmed elsewhere.
  • Pulse Ghana also reported that Regulation 242 sets automated fines at 10, 15 and 20 penalty units, with one unit currently worth GH₵12, and that genuine SMS notices come from the sender ID 'GPS-MTTD' and never ask for money to be sent to a personal mobile money number. This rests on a single report.
  • Pulse Ghana further listed rules it said the new regulations cover, including a six-year age limit for tyres, a ban on tinted front windscreens and a minimum 70 per cent light transmission for other tinted glass, as explained by ACP Alexander Kwaku Obeng of the MTTD. No other report has carried these details.
  • A commentary by Citi Newsroom raised doubts about the accuracy of DVLA vehicle records, about whether unions and okada riders have been properly consulted, and about the availability of bus stops and a quick online way to dispute tickets. These are the author's concerns rather than established findings.

Why it matters for Ghana

Once camera-based ticketing starts, notices are directed at registered vehicle owners, so private car owners, taxi and trotro operators and commercial drivers across Accra, Kumasi and other cities all have a stake. The additional month gives them time to learn the rules before penalties apply. CUTS's warning about broken signals and faded markings puts a practical test to road authorities, because a fine is only fair where the signal or sign can actually be seen.

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