The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service has said its objective in implementing the TraffiTech-GH automated traffic enforcement system is to promote road safety awareness and encourage responsible driving rather than focus on the number of arrests.
Director of Education, Research and Training at the MTTD, ACP Alexander Kwaku Obeng, said the initiative was designed to make motorists recognise road safety as a collective responsibility requiring the commitment of all stakeholders.
Speaking on TV3 New Day’s The Big Issue, Thursday, November 5, he explained that the system is currently focused on speeding, with enforcement notices targeted at vehicle owners and drivers.
“Our objective was not the number of arrests but how people will be conscious of road safety as a canker that needs to be treated. That calls for all hands on deck so that when people begin to talk about it and also begin to act, for example, this is targeted enforcement,” he said.
ACP Obeng explained that electronic notices of violation would be sent through the official sender ID, GPS MTTD, to vehicle owners using the telephone numbers provided during vehicle registration.
“We are targeting the vehicle owner and the driver only because we are starting with speeding. And we share our electronic notice of violation via GPS MTTD to the vehicle owner who uses his or her telephone number in registering,” he added.
He said the approach was intended to encourage compliance with road traffic regulations and strengthen public awareness of road safety.
Amid the Traffitech-GH roll out, President John Dramani Mahama has defended the system, insisting it is about saving lives, not punishing drivers.
Speaking in Antigua after a Commonwealth breakfast, in a video shared by The 1957 News, the President addressed the public debate that has followed the system’s launch on November 1, 2026.
He said speeding continues to kill and maim children on Ghana’s roads every year.
“Children are knocked down and killed or permanently injured every year because of speeding,” he said.
President Mahama said while he supports the use of technology to enforce traffic laws, the police must be transparent about where the cameras are mounted.
He argued that when the police implement traffic enforcement technology, they must also put up signs indicating where speed cameras are located so drivers are adequately warned.
He reminded motorists that the maximum speed in town is 50 km/h, adding that drivers who obey that limit have nothing to fear.
“If you are doing 50, you will be fine,” he indicated.
