For many motorcycle and tricycle riders in Ghana, the road is not simply a route from one destination to another. It is their workplace, their livelihood and, for many families, the means of putting food on the table. Somoco Ghana Limited, the sole authorised distributor of Bajaj Automobiles in the country, has therefore joined the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Ministry of Transport and Ghana Police Service to launch a nationwide road safety campaign.
The “Safe Journey” 2026 Road Safety Campaign will run until December 2026 and will focus particularly on motorcycle and tricycle users.
Its aim is to make road safety part of everyday travel by placing greater emphasis on prevention, education, responsible riding and preparation before journeys begin, rather than addressing safety only through enforcement after crashes have taken place.
A central part of the initiative is the Somoco Riding Academy, a DVLA-certified programme offering rider education, training and licensing support, with a particular focus on commercial riders.
Somoco Managing Director Nii Ayi Hyde said the company’s responsibility should continue beyond the point at which a customer purchases a motorcycle or tricycle.
“Road safety must be integrated into the entire customer journey, from the showroom to the road.”
The campaign comes as motorcycles and tricycles play an increasingly important role in Ghana’s transport system, commercial activity and household incomes.
For some young people, a motorcycle may provide their first opportunity to start a business. A tricycle can offer a route from unemployment to earning an income, while for passengers it may provide one of the fastest and most affordable ways to get home.
However, the same roads that support these opportunities can also expose riders and passengers to serious danger when basic safety measures are ignored.
Somoco’s campaign will consequently promote rider training, licensing, helmet use, protective equipment and responsible behaviour by all road users.
The company’s Head of Marketing, Jerry Aye, said Somoco wanted the initiative to have a lasting effect rather than disappear once the publicity surrounding it had ended.
The objective, he said, was to make safer decisions easier for riders and to encourage habits that would continue beyond the end of the campaign.
The NRSA welcomed the programme. Its Director-General, Abraham Amabila, praised Somoco for taking the lead in road safety education and stressed that responsibility for safer roads could not rest with government agencies alone.
Riders, drivers, passengers, manufacturers, dealers, transport operators and corporate organisations all have a part to play, he said.
Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe also addressed developments linked to the legalisation and regulation of commercial motorcycle operations, commonly known as Okada.
The changing regulatory environment makes rider education, licensing and responsible operation increasingly important. If commercial motorcycle services are to become part of Ghana’s wider transport system, operators will need the required skills, knowledge and understanding of road safety.
Making safety a daily habit
One of the campaign’s central messages is that road safety cannot rely only on police checkpoints, fines or public awareness efforts launched after tragedy has occurred.
Instead, safe conduct must become routine.
For riders, that includes reconsidering the decision to speed, wearing a proper helmet even on short journeys, understanding traffic signs and road markings, and avoiding dangerous manoeuvres when under pressure to deliver a passenger or package quickly.
Passengers also have a role to play by valuing their own safety and choosing responsible operators.
Somoco says companies involved in selling mobility products must likewise recognise their responsibility to help customers understand how to use motorcycles and tricycles safely.
The “Safe Journey” campaign is intended to bring those responsibilities together, linking the purchase and use of vehicles with training, licensing and safer behaviour on Ghana’s roads.
