The Acting Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Abraham Amaliba, has weighed in on the growing debate over the legal age for commercial motorcycle riders, commonly known as Okada operators, in Ghana.
Mr. Amaliba clarified that under current regulations, individuals must be at least 25 years old to operate motorcycles for commercial purposes, even though the minimum age to ride a motorcycle in general is 18.
“That’s for the DVLA. The age for riding a motorbike is 18, but for commercial purposes, it’s 25. However, we reckon that 25 is way too high,” he stated, describing the rule as outdated and in need of reform.
Mr. Amaliba explained that the age restriction stems from a parent act, which prevents subsidiary legislation specifically with the Legislative Instruments (LIs) from setting a lower age limit unless the parent law is amended.
“What we are dealing with is a subsidiary legislation, we cannot give a lower age than the Parent Act allows, emphasizing that legal consistency must be maintained to prevent regulatory conflict, he said.
Despite these legal constraints, Mr Amaliba revealed that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) is actively working to reduce the commercial riding age to 21. However, he noted that this legislative change is still in process.
“We cannot wait for that amendment before passing our current law. So that’s the situation,” he said.
He stressed that bypassing the established legal process would invalidate any change. “By the Parent Act, you can’t use a lesser law to amend a higher law… If we tried to reduce the age to 14, 15 or 16, it would be in direct conflict with the Parent Act.”
Mr. Amaliba expressed support for aligning Ghana’s regulations with international best practices, where minimum ages for commercial vehicle operations typically range from 18 to 21.
“I support reducing the age to 18, and that should also apply to commercial vehicle drivers,” he said.
Importantly, the NRSA’s position underscores a growing push for regulatory reform to balance youth employment opportunities in the transport sector with road safety and legal compliance.
