Ghana Police to issue automated traffic fines by SMS from October 1
Motorists caught by cameras will receive electronic violation notices and have 14 days to pay their fines or challenge them in court.
The Ghana Police Service will begin full enforcement of traffic offences using cameras and electronic notices from October 1, 2026.
Under the TRAFFITECH-GH programme, detected offences will be reviewed before an Electronic Notice of Violation is sent by SMS to the vehicle owner or driver.
Each notice will identify the alleged offence and the prescribed fine. Police guidance says recipients must pay electronically through the Ghana.gov platform within 14 days.
Drivers who dispute a notice will also have 14 days from the date it is issued to lodge an online challenge for the matter to be heard in court.
The Police Service said the system was being introduced to address indiscipline on Ghana’s roads, strengthen compliance with traffic regulations and reduce crashes and casualties.
Registered owners face liability
According to the TRAFFITECH-GH guidance, the registered owner of a vehicle will be held liable for an offence even if another person was driving when it occurred.
The supplied information does not explain the procedure available to an owner who was not driving or how liability may be transferred to the person behind the wheel.
Failure to pay a fine within the stipulated period could result in the offender being traced by security agencies, the guidance says. It does not provide further details about the enforcement measures that may follow non-payment.
The Police Service, through the Motor Traffic and Transport Department, will use traffic cameras and Personal Data Assistant devices to identify suspected violations.
Months of pilot operations
The full rollout follows months of pilot operations and the passage of legislation providing a legal basis for automated enforcement.
The Director of the MTTD, Alexander Kweku Obeng, said in March that the system had issued about 120,000 caution notices during a pilot conducted between 2024 and 2025.
During that phase, motorists received warnings rather than full enforcement notices carrying fines.
The legal framework for the October launch is the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2025, and the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026.
Test operations were scheduled to begin on September 14, ahead of the September 15 announcement confirming the full enforcement date.
Equipment and officers deployed
About 1,000 MTTD officers have been trained nationwide to operate the programme.
Equipment assigned to the rollout includes 20 in-vehicle cameras, 30 handheld cameras, more than 300 motorcycles and 200 data assessment devices.
The system is being operated by the Police Service in partnership with agencies including the National Road Safety Authority, National Insurance Commission, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority and Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Commission.
The Police Service has urged motorists and vehicle owners to comply with road traffic regulations and support the programme’s introduction.
The supplied information does not list the specific offences the system will initially detect, the locations of the cameras or the fines attached to individual violations.