Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has clarified that the Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Commission acted within the law when it began enforcing rider registration, but said the government is introducing major fee reductions to ease the burden on operators.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement with courier service operators in Accra, the Minister explained that the enforcement, which sparked public concern, was halted temporarily to allow for broader consultations. “They were enforcing the law, they weren’t acting arbitrarily, but I believe that, and the Ministry believed that we needed to have a bit more stakeholder engagement,” he said.
Under the existing framework, riders were required to pay GHS 1,070 for registration, including GHS 50 for the form, GHS 20 for a sticker, and GHS 1,000 for the license, plus an annual renewal fee of GHS 600. Sam George confirmed that these fees were inherited from previous administrations and approved by Parliament.
However, he announced new reliefs for single riders, effective after parliamentary approval of revised charges in November. “We will drop the charge from 1,070 to 570. So the sticker is still 20 cedis, the form is 50 cedis but in this case, instead of the 1,000 cedis that is being charged for the registration, it’s dropping by 50% to 500 Ghana cedis and this is a one-off payment,” he said.
Annual renewal fees will also be reduced from GHS 600 to GHS 250. “We’re doing this because we believe that at this rate, no rider, single fleet platform will have an excuse of the price being too high for you to comply,” Sam George stressed, adding that government expects full compliance once the new structure takes effect.
The Minister also underscored the national importance of the exercise, noting that both the Presidency and National Security were monitoring the sector closely. He assured courier companies, platform aggregators, and individual riders that the Ministry will continue engagements to ensure fairness and compliance.
The revised framework is expected to take effect by the end of 2025, with a four-month sensitization campaign to prepare operators for registration. Courier businesses, particularly in the food delivery and e-commerce space, have expanded rapidly, with thousands of independent riders serving platforms and SMEs. Regulators argue that registration ensures safety, accountability, and consumer protection, while operators have warned that steep costs could push riders out of the market.
