The Acting Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Abraham Amaliba, has revealed that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) is taking steps to amend the age requirement for legalising commercial motorcycle (Okada) riders in Ghana.
This development comes in response to public concerns over the proposed stipulations in a new Legislative Instrument (L.I), currently being drafted to amend the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180).
The draft L.I. restricts Okada operations to individuals who are at least 25 years old and are either part of a recognised transport union or employed by a licensed commercial motorcycle company.
Many Ghanaians have questioned the logic behind allowing individuals to drive at 18, but restricting commercial motorcycle riding to those aged 25 and above.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Mr. Amaliba clarified that under current regulations, the legal age for both private vehicle and motorcycle riding is 18.
However, the age limit for commercial driving for both vehicles and motorcycles is set at 25.
He acknowledged that the age requirement is high and assured the public that the DVLA is working to reduce the commercial riding age from 25 to 21.
He said, “That’s for the DVLA So, the age for riding a motorbike is also 18, but the age for riding a motorbike for commercial purposes is 25. However, we reckon that that age, 25, is way too high. What we are dealing with now, and you are talking to me about, is a subsidiary legislation, which is called an LI. We cannot give a lower age than the Parent Act says, so, we have to put it at 25.”
Mr. Amaliba noted that best practices globally set commercial driving ages between 18 and 21, but supports lowering Ghana’s age requirement accordingly.
“However, I am aware that DVLA is taking steps to amend the 25 years age to 21. We cannot wait for that amendment to be done before we pass our current law. So, that’s the situation. By the Parent Act, you can’t use a lesser law to amend a higher law, so, that’s why we couldn’t do that. We would have done it straight ahead by saying that Okada riders can start driving at 14 or 15 or 16. But if we did that, it would go against the Parent Act. The best practice all over the world is 21 years and 18 years. So, we would choose one of it. But I am in support of reducing to 18 years and that will also include commercial drivers, as in driving cars for commercial purposes.”
