The Okada Riders Association of Ghana has warned that they will abstain from participating in the 2024 general elections unless the government legalizes their operations.
The riders claim that they are constantly harassed by law enforcement officials because their business is not regulated.
In an interview with Citi News, the General Secretary, Abdul Razak, emphasized the importance of the government addressing their grievances, as many young people in the country rely on this as a source of income.
“We called on the government to legalize our operations. In the last two weeks or so our vice president went to speak about the vision he has for the country. And we did not hear any information about us. That is the reason why we are also calling on the government to legalize our operations.
“When you look at the country right now, the way this job has created jobs for the youth, it is really helping the youth with their daily bread. So that is the reason why we say that if the government legalizes this operation and we put law into order it will help the youth to put something on the table.”
In the build-up to the 2020 elections, Former President John Mahama said he would legalise Okada operations if he won power but unfortunately, that never happened after he narrowly lost the elections, albeit contentious, to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The NDC flagbearer acknowledged that while the commercial motorcycle riding industry is currently illegal in Ghana, it has undeniably provided employment opportunities for numerous young individuals who were previously unemployed.
Addressing chiefs and people of Kpando in the Volta region Friday, Mahama said: “I’ve been seeing young people who have finished school and they can’t find a job and, so, they are looking for something they can do and many of our young people are riding motorcycles and transporting people from place to place, and we call them Okada”.
“But in our law, it says Okada is illegal but Okada is a reality, it has come to stay, you can’t stop it, and, so, I’ve suggested and I say when we come into office, we will legalise Okada but we will regulate it,” Mr Mahama said.
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