Ghana to implement digital system to detect traffic offences from September

• Ghana will replace routine roadside traffic checks with digital enforcement from September 2026.

• Cameras will detect more than 47 traffic offences, with electronic notices sent to offenders.

• The system is expected to reduce direct contact between motorists and police and curb roadside corruption.

Motorists in Ghana will no longer face routine roadside checks for several traffic offences from September 2026 as the government rolls out a digital enforcement system designed to detect more than 47 violations.

The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, announced the policy at the Government Accountability Series press briefing in Accra on Monday, August 24, 2026.

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Under the new system, cameras and other digital devices will capture traffic violations, while police officers review the evidence at a central control room before electronic notices are issued to offenders.

The technology will include face cameras, mobile cameras, in-vehicle cameras, handheld devices and radar systems.

Mr Mohammed-Mubarak said officers of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) would stop manually checking offences covered by the system once it becomes fully operational.

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“They won't come and ask you to bring your driving licence,” he said.

Motorists will therefore not routinely be stopped for physical driving licence checks, seatbelt violations or insurance checks where the offences can be detected electronically.

Once a violation is verified, the offender will receive an electronic notification containing details of the offence, the applicable penalty and payment instructions.

The Minister said reducing direct contact between police officers and motorists would also help tackle corruption during traffic enforcement.

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He cited instances where some motorists allegedly paid small amounts, including GH¢5 or GH¢10, to avoid prosecution for traffic offences.

The development comes alongside plans by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to introduce a UK-style penalty points system for drivers.

DVLA Chief Executive Officer Julius Neequaye Kotey in an earlier interview with Pulse Ghana said drivers could initially receive 20 points each year, with points deducted for offences such as speeding, reckless driving and running red lights.

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Drivers who exhaust their points would be required to return to driving school for further training, while unused points could be carried into the following year.

“When you exceed those 20 points by driving recklessly, running red lights or overspeeding, then we'll send you back to driving school. It won't mean starting everything again,” Mr Kotey said.

The Interior Minister said the traffic enforcement project formed part of a wider digitalisation programme aimed at improving efficiency and closing administrative loopholes.

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He also announced plans for an automated fire safety compliance system and a National Crime Automated Biometric Identification System expected to reach 751 centres by the end of 2026.