The introduction of TRAFFITECH-GH marks an important development in Ghana’s efforts to enforce road traffic regulations and address the growing problem of indiscipline on our roads.

For years, speeding, reckless driving, running red lights and other traffic violations have remained persistent features of our road transport environment.

The introduction of an automated enforcement system, therefore, presents an opportunity to change the way traffic laws are enforced in the country.

TRAFFITECH-GH uses radar technology, high-resolution cameras, sensors and other digital enforcement tools to detect traffic violations, including speeding and running red lights.

The system captures suspected violations, which are subsequently reviewed by personnel before electronic notices are issued to vehicle owners.

It is designed to complement the work of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service, bringing technology into an enforcement environment that has traditionally relied heavily on physical police presence.

This is a welcome intervention. The certainty of detection and the possibility of receiving a penalty even when a police officer is nowhere in sight could change driver behaviour. More importantly, it introduces a level of consistency and surveillance that manual enforcement alone may struggle to achieve.

However, there is a bigger conversation we must have about TRAFFITECH-GH. Catching speeding drivers, issuing fines and collecting money cannot be the beginning and the end of our road safety ambitions. Enforcement is only one part of the solution. We must also ask what happens to the money generated by the system and how that money can contribute to making our roads safer.

Understanding the TRAFFITECH-GH funding model

One of the most interesting aspects of the programme is its funding and revenue-sharing arrangement.

According to the Ministry of Finance’s 2024 Annual Report on Public-Private Partnership Projects, the TRAFFITECH-GH project has an estimated investment cost of GH¢77.73 million over an 11-year contract period.

The revenue-sharing arrangement provides for 60% of the revenue to go to the  Government of Ghana and 40% to the private-sector partner.

In simple terms, for every GH¢1 million generated in traffic fines, GH¢600,000 goes to the Government, while GH¢400,000 goes to the private partner.

This arrangement raises an important public policy question: where exactly does the  Government’s share go?

Is it paid into the Consolidated Fund? Is it allocated to the Ministry responsible for Roads and Highways? Does any portion go towards road safety interventions? And, more importantly, is there a mechanism to ensure that the money generated from enforcing traffic regulations is reinvested in improving the very road environment in which those regulations are enforced?

I believe there is a strong case for the Government’s 60% share to be channelled directly into the Ghana Road Fund.

Why the Ghana Road Fund?

The Ghana Road Fund was established under the Road Fund Act, 1997 (Act 536), primarily to provide financing for the maintenance, rehabilitation and improvement of public roads. Its mandate already covers several activities that are directly connected to the objectives of TRAFFITECH-GH.

Routine road maintenance: Pothole repairs, drainage maintenance, vegetation control, road grading and other regular interventions necessary to keep roads serviceable.

Periodic road maintenance: Resealing, asphaltic overlays, re-gravelling, spot improvements and other scheduled maintenance works.

Road upgrading and rehabilitation: Improving existing roads, repairing deteriorated sections and rehabilitating roads that have become unsafe or difficult to use.

Maintenance of road-related facilities: Supporting the maintenance of infrastructure and facilities associated with the road network.

Road safety activities: Financing interventions that contribute to safer roads and reduce the risks faced by motorists and other road users.

Selected road safety projects: Supporting specific interventions designed to address road safety challenges across the country.

Support for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies: Assisting local authorities in carrying out their responsibilities relating to public roads.

These are not arbitrary suggestions. They are consistent with the purposes and expenditure provisions of the Road Fund Act. It therefore makes policy sense that revenue generated from a national traffic enforcement programme should contribute to the financing of these activities.

Making road safety more than a camera and a fine

There is a fundamental distinction between enforcing road traffic regulations and creating a safe road environment.

A driver can be penalised for speeding, but what happens when that driver is travelling on a road with inadequate signage? What happens when streetlights are not working, road markings have disappeared, dangerous bends are poorly marked, or a particular stretch of road has become a known accident black spot?

A camera can detect a vehicle travelling above the prescribed speed limit. It cannot repair a pothole, install a missing traffic sign, improve visibility at a dangerous junction or construct a pedestrian crossing.

This is why TRAFFITECH-GH must be viewed as part of a much broader national road safety strategy. The technology should be accompanied by investment in road infrastructure, including:

The identification and treatment of accident-prone locations and dangerous road sections.

Installation and maintenance of traffic signs, road markings and reflective road studs.

Adequate street lighting, particularly on highways and urban roads.

Construction and maintenance of pedestrian crossings, footbridges and walkways.

Installation of crash barriers and other protective road furniture at hazardous locations.

Appropriate speed-calming measures in residential areas, school zones and communities.

Improved road drainage to prevent flooding and deterioration of road surfaces.

Regular road safety audits to identify infrastructure-related risks.

Public education on road safety and responsible driving.

Improved emergency response systems to reduce the consequences of road crashes.

These interventions are essential because road safety is not determined by driver behaviour alone. It is also influenced by the condition of the road, the design of intersections, the visibility of road markings, the availability of pedestrian facilities and the overall quality of road infrastructure.

We cannot fine motorists for unsafe driving while ignoring unsafe road conditions.

The money must follow a transparent path.

If the  Government adopts the proposal to channel its share of TRAFFITECH-GH revenue into the Road Fund, it must also establish a transparent accountability framework.

Every cedi collected should be accounted for. The public should be able to establish how much has been generated, how much has been transferred to the Road Fund and which projects have benefited from the proceeds.

I would propose that the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry responsible for Roads and Highways and the relevant road sector institutions establish a dedicated reporting mechanism for TRAFFITECH-GH proceeds. This should include:

Monthly disclosure of total fines issued and payments received.

A breakdown of the  Government’s share and the private partner’s share.

Regular confirmation of transfers into the designated public fund.

Publication of projects financed from TRAFFITECH-GH proceeds.

Independent annual audits of collections, transfers and expenditure.

A public dashboard showing the roads and road safety projects benefiting from the money.

There should also be consideration for directing a defined portion of the Government’s proceeds towards road safety projects in communities and districts where traffic risks and accident rates are particularly high.

The objective must not simply be to collect more fines. It must be to demonstrate that the programme is contributing to safer roads and fewer casualties.

Ultimately, what are we trying to achieve?

The success of TRAFFITECH-GH should not be measured by the number of cameras installed, the number of motorists captured or the amount of money collected in penalties.

Those are operational indicators. The real measure of success should be whether we are seeing fewer road crashes, fewer fatalities, fewer serious injuries and better compliance with traffic regulations.

If the system succeeds in making motorists more conscious of speed limits and other traffic regulations, that is a positive outcome. But if, at the same time, the roads remain poorly maintained, dangerous junctions remain untreated, and pedestrian infrastructure remains inadequate, then we would have addressed only part of the problem.

There is an opportunity here to establish a direct relationship between traffic enforcement and road infrastructure improvement.

The principle is straightforward: if motorists are being penalised for violating road traffic regulations, the proceeds accruing to the state should help create a safer road environment for those same motorists and everyone else who uses our roads.

TRAFFITECH-GH should therefore be more than a traffic monitoring and revenue collection system. It should be a contributor to a sustainable national road safety financing framework.

Catching speeding drivers is important. Making the roads safer is even more important. We must do both.

Sources and factual references

Ministry of Finance – 2024 Annual Report on Public-Private Partnership Projects

Ghana Road Fund Act, 1997 (Act 536)

Ministry of Roads and Highways – Road Fund Secretariat

Ghana Highway Authority – Road Safety Responsibilities

Ghana  News Agency – TRAFFITECH-GH implementation

Editorial note: The 60:40 arrangement is the documented project revenue-sharing model, not proof that the Government’s 60 per cent is already allocated to the Road Fund. The proposed Road Fund allocation is presented as a policy recommendation.