In response to criticism from some church leaders, President John Dramani Mahama defended a new road traffic rule that forbids preaching and hawking on moving public busses, stating that it is not intended to prevent Christians from sharing the gospel. The President stated that the amended Road Traffic Regulation, 2026, known as Legislative Instrument (LI) 2519, was designed to protect passengers, safeguard preachers and hawkers themselves, and improve road safety.
Sections 141 and 142 of the amended regulation, among other provisions, set out the penalties. Anyone who preaches or hawks on a moving public or commercial vehicle faces a fine of between 10 and 50 penalty units, or imprisonment for up to eight months.
Under Ghana’s fines legislation, a penalty unit has a fixed cedi value set by law. Going by the most recent figure I am aware of, GH₵12 per unit, the fine would work out at roughly GH₵120 to GH₵600. That value may have been revised, so the current figure should be confirmed before it is quoted.
Why the government says it is needed
The President’s argument rests on safety. Moving buses can be hazardous places to stand, sell or address a crowd. Preachers and hawkers often work in the aisles while the vehicle is in motion, which exposes them to the risk of falls during sudden braking or accidents. Passengers, in turn, are a captive audience with limited ability to move away or object.
By framing the rule as protection for passengers, preachers and traders alike, Mahama is presenting it as a road safety measure rather than a restriction on belief. He stressed that the regulation does not seek to prevent the propagation of the gospel.
Pastors push back
Not everyone is persuaded. Some pastors have accused the government of attempting to “shut the mouth of the church” and of interfering with their religious mandate to evangelise. For many Christians in Ghana, preaching on commercial buses is an established form of public witness, and critics see a ban as a restriction on the freedom to practise and share their faith.
Ghana’s Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, including the right to manifest and propagate one’s faith. That is the backdrop to the dispute: opponents argue the rule intrudes on that freedom, while the government says it only regulates where and how such activity takes place, in the interest of public order and safety.
The disagreement reflects a wider question in many countries about where the line falls between freedom of expression and religion on one side and public safety and the comfort of others on the other. Supporters of such rules often point to complaints from commuters who do not wish to be preached to or sold to during a journey. Critics argue that the answer should be regulation of noise and conduct rather than an outright ban.
What remains unclear
The President’s remarks, as reported, do not say when enforcement will begin or how police and transport authorities will apply the rule in practice. It is also not yet clear whether church leaders will seek further dialogue with the government or challenge the regulation in court. Those details will determine how far the measure changes daily life on Ghana’s roads.
For now, Mahama’s message to critics is that the regulation is about keeping people safe on moving vehicles, not about limiting the reach of the church.