The Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Abraham Amaliba, is calling for stricter enforcement of road traffic laws and reforms to the Road Fund to improve road safety in Ghana.
Speaking in an interview on Good Afternoon Ghana on Metro TV, Abraham Amaliba revealed that inadequate funding has affeced the Authority’s operations, as most of its resources depend on the Road Fund.
“Amend the old Road Fund to Road Maintenance Fund and appoint new members to the fund,” he said, explaining that about 90% of the Authority’s resources come from it.
He disclosed that throughout last year, no funds were released to the NRSA.
“The whole of last year no resources was released to me but I still worked… we had little, some hundred thousand from the National Insurance Commission and say hundred thousand from DVLA,” he said.
According to him, the limited funds had to be shared across the country.
“You can imagine that little amount I have to make sure I give some to the regions. It’s not only in Accra, but we soldiered on.”
Mr Amaliba noted that the situation has slightly improved this year.
“Luckily in February some was released to us, so we are working and ensuring that the mandate of the Commission is fulfilled,” he added.
On road safety, the NRSA boss said indiscipline among drivers remains the biggest challenge, not lack of education.
“What comes to me immediately when I drive is inconsiderate driving. Most drivers, be it private or commercial, are inconsiderate,” he said.
He described common situations where drivers refuse to give way even when indicators are used.
“Somebody is parked by the roadside and is showing his traffic indicator that he wants to enter and nobody stops. You have to literally stretch your hand and beg.”
He added that such behaviour contrasts sharply with practices in more developed countries, where drivers are more courteous.
“People fidget with their phones and all those things cause accidents,” he cited distracted driving as a major concern.
He insisted that most drivers already understand basic road rules but choose to ignore them. “Every driver worth his salt knows these basic rudiments of driving… but they don’t do it.”
He argued that the real gap lies in enforcement, not education. “The deficit would be on the part of enforcement,” he said.
The NRSA, he explained, lacks the power to arrest offenders and depends on the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service.
“When I came, I wrote to the police MTTD… to send men onto the roads. They said the IGP had asked them to withdraw, so that’s why you don’t find MTTD on our roads,” he revealed.
He suggested that if full deployment is not possible, officers should at least be stationed at accident-prone areas.
“Send them to what we call black spots… roads where accidents frequently happen. They didn’t mind me,” he said.
Mr Amaliba also pointed to pedestrian behaviour as a contributing factor. He mentioned jaywalking and distractions such as phone use and headphones as risks.
“You could have escaped, but because you were on your phone… all these things can cause an accident,” he said.
On regional performance, he disclosed that three regions, including Greater Accra, account for most road crashes, although others are doing relatively well.
He said the Authority plans to begin publishing regional breakdowns of accident data to encourage accountability.
“After you give a national outlook, let’s look at the regions… that could even be like a league table that would put pressure on the other regions,” he explained.
Touching on infrastructure, Mr Amaliba described some major roads as unsafe, particularly highways linking key cities.
“It’s a national disgrace that two of the biggest cities have that type of road. It’s not acceptable,” he said, referencing the Accra-Kumasi highway.
While acknowledging poor road conditions, he maintained that driver behaviour is still a major cause of crashes.
“Ninety percent of it is driver recklessness,” he said, citing dangerous overtaking and wrong-lane driving.
He welcomed ongoing efforts to construct an expressway on the stretch, saying it could help reduce head-on collisions.
Mr Amaliba stressed that improving road safety will require a combination of enforcement, better infrastructure, and continuous sensitisation of both drivers and pedestrians.
“It is a task. I don’t feel it is too much for me. I think it is an area that I want to bring sanity into,” he said.
