The Acting Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Abraham Amaliba, has shed light on the ongoing debate surrounding the legal age for commercial motorcycle riders in Ghana, popularly known as Okada riders.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Amaliba clarified the legal framework behind the age restriction and revealed efforts by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to revise the rule.
“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,” he explained, highlighting the legal complexity involved in revising the current law.
Amaliba emphasized that the current regulation is based on a parent act, which binds subsidiary legislation — known as Legislative Instruments (LIs) — from setting a lower threshold unless the original law is amended.
“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,” he clarified.
He added that although the NRSA recognizes the concerns raised by the public and stakeholders, they are bound by legal limitations. Nonetheless, he assured that change is on the horizon.
“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,” he said.
Amaliba further stressed the importance of legal coherence, noting that amending the law outside of proper channels would render it invalid.
“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,” he explained.
He concluded by affirming his personal stance in favor of lowering the age requirement and aligning Ghana’s laws with international norms.
“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,” he stated.
