Ghana’s roads continue to claim lives at an alarming rate, making road travel one of the most dangerous ways to move across the country. Between January and August 2025 alone, the National Road Safety Authority reported that 1,937 people lost their lives while 10,957 were injured in 9,626 crashes involving more than 16,000 vehicles. Beyond the devastating human cost, road accidents carry a heavy economic burden, costing Ghana roughly 1.6% of its GDP annually.
Families are shattered, communities disrupted, and the nation bears the loss of productivity and increased healthcare expenses. The festive season, when long-distance travel peaks, only compounds this risk, with many travellers choosing risky road journeys to visit family or attend cultural celebrations.
Against this backdrop, Ghana’s domestic air travel system offers a safer, more efficient alternative. Carriers such as PassionAir and Africa World Airlines connect Accra with regional cities, including Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale, Sunyani, and Wa, providing rapid access that could significantly reduce exposure to dangerous highways.
Passenger throughput in recent years has shown that confidence in aviation is growing, reaching 722,721 in 2021 despite temporary declines in subsequent years. Globally, aviation remains among the safest forms of transport, with the International Air Transport Association reporting an accident rate of just 1.13 incidents per million flights.
For a country where long intercity road trips are often punctuated by fatigue and hazardous conditions, shifting even a portion of travellers to air transport could prevent countless fatalities and injuries, reduce healthcare burdens, and preserve economic productivity.
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts has already emphasized the role of air travel in improving connectivity and promoting tourism. In September 2025, Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie lauded a Century Aviation demonstration flight, stating, “the challenge for the work that I do is connectivity, the ability for people who want to explore and experience Ghana to travel wherever they want to go. Our road network needs a lot of work…”
She described the aircraft as “a game-changer for regional travel within Ghana,” highlighting the potential for aviation to unlock new tourism corridors and support the government’s broader economic agenda. Similarly, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority has called on domestic airlines to consider fare reductions, citing favourable economic conditions that could lower operational costs.
Building on this recognition, there is a compelling case for the Ministry to partner with domestic airlines to subsidize ticket prices during the December festive season. By making air travel more affordable, the Ministry could encourage travellers to choose safer flights over risky long-distance road trips, particularly when travel demand peaks.
Such a move would not only reduce the risk of road accidents but also improve access to regional destinations, promote domestic tourism, and support economic activity in underserved areas. It would align perfectly with the Ministry’s mission to enhance connectivity, while simultaneously addressing a critical public safety issue.
Investing in aviation infrastructure and incentivizing domestic air travel during peak travel periods offers Ghana a tangible solution to one of its most persistent public safety crises. By turning what is now a dangerous journey by road into a safe and efficient flight, the country can save lives, protect communities, and make December travel safer and more enjoyable for everyone.
