The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have clashed over which government deserves credit for the introduction of the Traffitech Ghana initiative, a new automated traffic enforcement system designed to improve road discipline and reduce accidents.
The disagreement emerged during a discussion involving former NPP Deputy Communications Director, Kamal-Deen Abdulai, and the Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Abraham Amaliba, who offered differing accounts of the project’s history and development.
While Abdulai maintained that the initiative was conceived and substantially advanced under the previous NPP administration, Amaliba disputed the suggestion that the project was solely an NPP initiative, tracing its origins to an earlier John Mahama administration and crediting the current government with its implementation.
Speaking during the discussion on TV3’s New Day Programme segment, The Big Issue, Abdulai said the NPP government recognised the need for automated traffic monitoring in 2017 and began working through the then National Road Safety Authority to develop a system that would help address indiscipline on Ghana’s roads.
He said the Ghana Police Service subsequently demonstrated how the automated enforcement system would operate in 2023, during the NPP’s tenure.
According to him, the previous administration had already undertaken significant preparatory work, including the installation of cameras and other automated systems, before the current government proceeded to launch the Traffic Tech Ghana initiative.
He argued that the project should be viewed as a national road safety intervention rather than a political achievement, stressing that road accidents affect Ghanaians irrespective of their political affiliations.
“Our major aim as a country is to see our country developed, and we are on that trajectory as a country,” he said.
Abdulai urged Ghanaians to support the initiative, arguing that the alarming number of road accidents made it necessary for authorities to introduce stronger measures to enforce traffic regulations.
Citing the recent fatal accident on the newly constructed Ofankor road, he said the consequences of road indiscipline should encourage motorists to take road safety seriously.
He also expressed support for Legislative Instrument (LI) 2519, which provides the regulatory framework for the automated traffic enforcement system.
However, the former NPP communications executive insisted that authorities must ensure adequate road signs and public education before enforcing the system.
He disagreed with suggestions that motorists should simply be captured by cameras and punished without sufficient prior notice of speed limits and enforcement zones.
Referencing Article 19 of the 1992 Constitution, he argued that the principles of fair trial required motorists to be adequately informed of the applicable traffic regulations before sanctions were imposed.
He maintained that clear signage indicating camera locations and speed limits was particularly important for drivers who might not be sufficiently familiar with written traffic regulations.
Abdulai further appealed to the government to increase funding for the National Road Safety Authority, arguing that road safety deserved greater financial commitment.
He questioned why other government agencies could receive substantial budgetary allocations while institutions responsible for preventing road deaths struggled to secure adequate resources.
He also called for strict enforcement against individuals who illegally place posters and advertisements on road signs, warning that such practices undermine road safety.
Amaliba Disputes NPP’s Claim
Responding to Abdulai, NRSA Director-General Abraham Amaliba challenged the NPP’s account of the project’s history, insisting that the initiative predated the previous administration’s involvement.
He explained that Traffitech Ghana was fundamentally a road safety intervention and not a revenue-generating scheme, adding that the NRSA had transferred enforcement responsibilities to the Ghana Police Service because the authority lacked the necessary enforcement powers.
Amaliba also dismissed concerns that the system could become a channel for financial manipulation, explaining that its payment arrangement was designed to automatically distribute proceeds among the participating institutions.
According to him, payments made by motorists who receive traffic violation tickets are immediately shared among the relevant partners rather than being accumulated in one account for subsequent distribution.
He said the arrangement was intended to promote transparency and prevent individuals or institutions from manipulating the collection and distribution of fines.
However, the NRSA boss took issue with Abdulai’s assertion that the initiative originated under the NPP administration.
He accused the opposition party of attempting to claim ownership of projects implemented by the current government whenever such initiatives receive public attention.
Amaliba said he contacted an officer who had been involved in the Traffitech Ghana project before his appointment as Director-General to establish its actual history.
According to the information he received, the initiative had roots dating back to the tenure of former Transport Minister Mike Hammah during President John Mahama’s first term.
He said the officer indicated that although the project had been conceived earlier, more intensive work began around 2013 and 2014.
Amaliba further disclosed that a contract for the project was signed in 2020, during the NPP administration, while feasibility studies were undertaken between 2019 and 2023.
He acknowledged the NPP’s involvement in those stages but maintained that the actual implementation of the initiative was taking place under the current administration.
“Then I said, okay, thanks. Then he went to say feasibility was conducted in 2019-2023. That’s under NPP. And then now, implementation is under the President,” he recounted.
The exchange has brought renewed attention to the political debate over the ownership and origins of government projects, with both sides acknowledging different stages of the Traffitech Ghana initiative.
While the NPP argues that its previous work laid the foundation for the system, the NRSA Director-General insists that the project’s history stretches further back and that the current administration deserves recognition for moving it into implementation.
Beyond the political disagreement, both men expressed support for the broader objective of improving road safety, although they differed on the historical credit and certain aspects of the initiative’s implementation.
By Gifty Boateng