Traffic fines by SMS: How Ghana’s new camera system will work

A motorist drives through a junction and continues the journey without being stopped by a police officer.

Days later, an SMS arrives containing the vehicle’s registration number, the location and time of an alleged traffic offence, the prescribed fine and a deadline for responding.

From October 1, 2026, such notices are expected to become a regular part of traffic enforcement in Ghana as the Police Service begins the full rollout of

TRAFFITECH-GH.

The system will use cameras, digital devices and a back-office review process to detect suspected violations and issue Electronic Notices of Violation.

Recipients will have 14 days to pay the prescribed fine or begin the process of challenging the notice.

But important questions remain about registered-owner liability, the handling of erroneous notices, data protection and whether challenging an allegation suspends the payment deadline.

What is TRAFFITECH-GH?

TRAFFITECH-GH is an automated traffic-law enforcement programme operated by the Ghana Police Service through the Motor Traffic and Transport Department.

It combines fixed and mobile cameras with in-vehicle and handheld equipment, as well as Personal Data Assistant devices used by trained officers.

The Police Service says the system is intended to improve compliance with road traffic laws, reduce direct human involvement in enforcement and help prevent crashes, deaths and injuries.

Full implementation follows pilot operations conducted between 2024 and 2025.

MTTD Director Alexander Kwaku Obeng said in March that approximately 120,000 caution notices had been issued during the pilot. Those notices served as warnings rather than enforceable fines.

The system is now moving from caution notices to full enforcement following the passage of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2025 and the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026.

How will an offence be detected?

TRAFFITECH-GH will use fixed, mobile, in-vehicle and handheld cameras to record suspected violations.

Personal Data Assistant devices will also allow officers to process alleged offences electronically during roadside operations.

According to information published by the Police Service, the system is expected to cover offences including:

• Speeding

• Driving through red lights

• Wrongful overtaking

• Failure to wear a seat belt

• Driving with an expired licence

• Using a vehicle with an expired roadworthiness certificate

• Driving an uninsured vehicle

• Misusing sirens

The Interior Minister, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has said the broader enforcement system is designed to cover more than 47 offences.

However, the full list of offences to be enforced electronically from October 1 has not been clearly published in the materials reviewed for this feature.

Motorists should therefore not assume that the eight publicly identified categories represent the system’s final scope.

Will every camera detection lead to a fine?

The Police Service says recorded material will be reviewed before a fine is issued.

Camera footage and related information will be sent for back-office validation to determine whether an offence appears to have been committed.

An Electronic Notice of Violation will be issued only after that review.

This means a camera recording is not supposed to generate an automatic fine without human assessment.

However, the available official guidance does not explain the standard of review, how unclear footage will be handled or whether a second officer must confirm a suspected violation.

What will the SMS contain?

For offences detected by cameras, the electronic notice will be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle.

For an offence recorded by an officer during a roadside encounter, the notice may be issued to the driver through a handheld device.

According to the Police Service’s guidance, each notice should contain:

• A ticket number

• The vehicle’s registration number

• The location of the alleged offence

• The date and time it occurred

• A description of the offence

• The prescribed fine

• The payment deadline

The official sender identification is expected to be GPS-MTTD.

Motorists should still verify every notice independently because criminals have previously attempted to imitate electronic traffic messages.

How can motorists avoid fraudulent notices?

The Police Service announced in February 2026 that seven people had been arrested over an alleged traffic-fine scam.

Police said fraudulent messages had directed recipients to fake payment links, with money subsequently moved through mobile money accounts.

A genuine notice should be verified through the official Ghana.gov platform using the ticket number.

Motorists should avoid clicking unfamiliar payment links contained in text messages or sending money to personal mobile money accounts.

Suspected fraud can be reported to the MTTD through the telephone number 059 692 2402 or the email address traffitech@police.gov.gh, according to the guidance reviewed.

How will fines be paid?

The Police Service says payments must be made electronically through approved channels.

The listed options include:

• The Ghana.gov portal using the ticket number

• Mobile money through MTN, Telecel or AirtelTigo

• A debit or credit card through the government portal

• The short code *222#, followed by option six

Motorists should retain their electronic receipts as proof of payment.

The published guidance does not provide a complete schedule showing how much will be charged for every offence.

Each notice is expected to state the prescribed fine applicable to the alleged violation.

Fine amounts circulating on unofficial websites should be treated cautiously unless they can be verified against the applicable legislation or official Police guidance.

What is the 14-day deadline?

A recipient will have 14 days from the date the electronic notice is issued to respond.

Within that period, the person can review the available evidence, pay the fine or challenge the allegation.

Evidence linked to the ticket is expected to be accessible through Ghana.gov using the notice number.

Motorists should not ignore the notice simply because they believe it was issued incorrectly. A formal challenge must be lodged through the prescribed process within the deadline.

How can a notice be challenged?

A motorist who disputes an electronic notice can submit an online challenge within 14 days.

Reports on the procedure indicate that the person may be able to select an MTTD regional station and a hearing date, with confirmation sent by SMS.

The case can then be placed before a court for determination.

A significant question remains unanswered: official guidance reviewed for this feature does not clearly state whether lodging a challenge suspends the payment deadline or prevents penalties from accumulating.

The Police Service will need to clarify this before enforcement begins so motorists are not penalised while legitimately contesting a notice.

What if the owner was not driving?

One of the most consequential parts of the system concerns responsibility for camera-detected offences.

Police guidance says the registered owner remains liable for a violation irrespective of who was driving the vehicle at the time.

This will be particularly important for commercial vehicles, company cars, family vehicles, rental arrangements and vehicles that have been sold without the ownership records being updated.

The guidance indicates that liability continues until the fine is paid or a transfer of ownership is formally registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority.

It is not yet clear from the material reviewed whether an owner can avoid liability by proving that the vehicle was stolen or identifying the person who was driving.

The precise statutory defences available to registered owners should be clearly published before full enforcement begins.

The system also makes the formal transfer of vehicle ownership more important. A person who sells a vehicle but fails to update the DVLA records could continue receiving notices for alleged offences involving that vehicle.

What happens if a fine is not paid?

The Police Service says a 1% daily penalty will be added to an outstanding fine after the 14-day deadline.

Continued non-payment could result in the alleged offender being traced by security agencies.

Police guidance also says outstanding fines could prevent the affected person from accessing some DVLA services.

These may include the renewal of a driving licence, registration or transfer of a vehicle and the issuance of a roadworthiness certificate.

No official source reviewed for this feature confirms that an unpaid TRAFFITECH fine will affect motor insurance.

Who will operate the system?

About 1,000 MTTD personnel have reportedly been trained nationwide for TRAFFITECH-GH.

The announced equipment includes 20 in-vehicle cameras, 30 handheld cameras, more than 300 motorcycles and 200 data assessment devices.

The Ghana Police Service is working with other institutions, including the National Road Safety Authority, National Insurance Commission, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority and Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Commission.

The available information does not identify all the locations where cameras will operate from October 1.

What does the law say?

The legal basis cited for the rollout is the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2025—Act 1153—and the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026—L.I. 2519.

Act 1153 expands the definition of a spot fine to include an automated fine payable following the commission of a road traffic offence.

The operational details—including electronic notices, deadlines, registered-owner liability and the challenge process—are described in Police guidance and are understood to be covered more fully by the 2026 regulations.

However, the complete text of L.I. 2519 was not available for independent examination among the materials used for this feature.

Publishing the full regulations and a verified schedule of offences and fines would allow motorists, lawyers and civil society organisations to scrutinise the system before enforcement begins.

What about privacy and personal data?

TRAFFITECH-GH will collect and process vehicle information, registration details, camera footage and potentially identifiable images of drivers and passengers.

The Police Service says access to notice data and footage will be limited to the affected vehicle owner or driver, authorised MTTD personnel, validation staff and the courts.

But no statement from Ghana’s Data Protection Commission specifically assessing TRAFFITECH-GH was identified in the supplied research.

Questions remain about how long footage will be retained, how access will be recorded, how data breaches will be handled and how motorists can request the correction of inaccurate information.

What motorists should do after receiving a notice

A motorist who receives a TRAFFITECH notice should:

1. Confirm that the message appears to have come from GPS-MTTD.

2. Avoid clicking payment links contained in the SMS.

3. Visit Ghana.gov independently and enter the ticket number.

4. Check the vehicle registration, offence, location, date and time.

5. Review the available photographic or video evidence.

6. Pay through an officially approved channel if the notice is accepted.

7. Keep the electronic receipt.

8. Lodge an official challenge within 14 days if the allegation is disputed.

9. Report suspected fraud directly to the MTTD.

Questions still awaiting answers

Before October 1, the Police Service will need to provide clearer answers to several practical questions:

• Does an appeal suspend the payment deadline?

• What is the correction process when a notice is sent to the wrong person?

• How will duplicate fines be identified and cancelled?

• What defences are available when the registered owner was not driving?

• What happens when a vehicle was stolen?

• What is the official fine for each enforceable offence?

• Which of the more than 47 cited offences will be enforced at launch?

• How long will camera footage and personal information be stored?

• Has the Data Protection Commission independently assessed the system?

TRAFFITECH-GH could reduce roadside disputes and give traffic enforcement a clearer electronic trail.

Its credibility, however, will depend on accurate detection, transparent procedures, secure handling of personal data and a fair process for correcting mistakes.

For motorists, the most immediate change is clear: a journey may end without an officer stopping the vehicle, but an alleged offence could still arrive later by

SMS—with only 14 days to respond.