Okada Riders Association president Mohammed Tijani believes his craft has become too essential to remain unregulated.
“I believe in Almighty God, they can’t ban okadas,” he said on The point of view.
Mr. Tijani noted that “today deliveries are made by okada runners. Even though the president does not use okada, his family uses okada.
Moreover, he said, okadas were creating jobs in a saturated labor market.
“Today there are no jobs in Ghana. All places are stifled, but we have created jobs, so we beg them to consider us.
“Okada residents are creating jobs, so they should get out [and legalise it]. We beg them,” Mr. Tijani said.
In an effort to phase out okadas, the government tried to offer cyclists quadricycles as part of the CODA Drive initiative.
The CODA Drive initiative hopes to get commercial motorcyclists to ditch their motorcycles for a Bajaj Qute vehicle on a hire-purchase basis.
Among the association’s concerns is that cars will not solve traffic congestion problems.
In 2012, the use of motorcycles for commercial transport in Ghana was banned under Regulation 128 (1 – 4) of the Road Traffic Regulations 2012, which states: “The licensing authority shall not register a motorcycle to carry a paying passenger”.
The debate over legalizing okada has been raised strongly in the run-up to the December 2020 general election following a promise by then-Democratic National Congress presidential candidate John Mahama to allow it and to regularize it.