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Stop unnecessary seizure of vehicles at designated parking space
No nation operates in a vacuum that is why there are sets of laws, rules and regulations duly crafted, studied and analysed for the guidance of the people in their daily activities. There is bound to be total confusion and chaos if countries in the world operate without abiding by the laws set out to regulate their operations. Ghana is no exception and, therefore, not an island of its own. It has a set of laws, rules and regulations enshrined in statute books to guide the citizens in their daily lives. Those who decide to go contrary to the laws of the country, will face the consequences thereof.
COMPLYING WITH THE MOTOR TRAFFIC LAWS
In this country, we have the city authorities and the police who are duly mandated by law to ensure that issues regarding road traffic management are effectively handled in accordance with the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683). This law empowers the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service to enforce road traffic regulations among the citizens, especially motorists. Flouters of the law are duly disciplined either through court fines or various terms in prison to serve as deterrent to others. The Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) complement the work of the MMTD in the enforcement of the law.
WHAT DOES DESIGNATED PARKING SPACE MEAN?
Designated parking space means parking space that has been set aside for the parking of a particular vehicle or class of vehicles or use by a particular person or class of persons for the parking of vehicles. Parking spaces are very important to cities. Acity must have enough parking spaces to provide its residents and visitors a place to park their cars. Since cars are the main factor in transportation, a city must meet the needs of drivers. Parking can be considered a problem because it creates congestion and reduces the real estate available for more important purposes, such as housing, transit, parks and public space. It contributes also to urban sprawl by increasing the distance between each building. In reality the parking problem is an issue of overall transport policy. This article limits itself to street parking and its impact on road performance. Indeed, transportation requires parking space to stop. However, if parking is not well served, it can disrupt traffic flow and cause congestion. Parking on the side of the road will incur a loss for both the driver and the public if not properly managed.
SAFE PARKING OF VEHICLES
When a car is safely parked, it is visible not obstructing other road users. At night, if you are only parking for a short time, you can leave your parking lights or hazard lights on to make your vehicle more visible. In other jurisdiction, the law states that if your vehicle is not moved within 72 hours, an officer or employee of the police department has the right to issue your vehicle a parking violation notice. There is also a vehicle code section that allows the officer or employee to have the vehicle towed and stored at the owner’s expense.
ROADSIDE PARKING AND FINES
Some parts of the streets in Accra are clearly marked ‘No Parking’ and that is a clear warning to motorists to avoid parking in that restricted area, otherwise when they are arrested they will definitely face sanctions. This is part of the arrangement by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the police to instill sanity on the roads to ensure that pedestrian and vehicular accidents are either prevented or brought to the barest minimum. The safety of the people is, indeed, paramount and ultimate, therefore, that bold initiative by the city authorities and the law enforcement agencies are highly commendable.
NEGATIVE BEHAVIOURS BY AMA TASKFORCE
However, in the midst of this positive development, unfortunate negative incidents are currently in vogue by that same city authorities which tend to dampen the spirit of motorists and drivers and need to be addressed immediately. It will interest readers and of course the generality of Ghanaians to know that drivers are being arrested and fined for parking at places they are not aware of being prohibited because there are no road signs to inform them not to park in those areas.
WRITER’S OWN EXPERIENCE
In fact, I was a victim of this negative act by officials from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) whose offices are located at Awudome in Accra. I parked my car at the designated bus stop at Awudome on the main Ring Road, to withdraw money from the Absa Bank near the State Transport Company. I spent just about 10 minutes because I used the ATM which was a fast approach to the withdrawal.
When I returned for my car, I noticed that it had been locked together with others whose drivers were not in sight. I told an AMA officer who was standing-by that, I just went to the bank to withdraw money which took me less than 15 minutes but he did not listen to me at all. Instead, he sat in my car and asked me to drive to their office at Awudome which I did. At the office they detained my car the whole day and imposed a fine of GHc 300.00 on me. It was the Public Relations Officer (PRO) who intervened after my explanation, before they released my car to me.
ANOTHER LADY’S EXPERIENCE
Similar story is told about a lady who recently left her sick daughter at home to rush to the office to send a message which had to be delivered by 1 pm. On her way, she stopped by an orange seller by the roadside to buy oranges and remembered she had to buy tomatoes just close by to make some soup for her sick daughter. She returned only to see her car locked by the AMA taskforce team. The team, according to the report, had left the scene and made one staff to watch the car. When the lady enquired from him why her car had been locked, his response was that, “this is a bus stop and you were not supposed to park here”. What? Where is the no sign, what shows that this is a bus stop?” the lady blurred out. The officer was quoted to have said that, “If you are coming to talk law, you will make your case worse. Alright, what is my bill? Unlock my car because I have an emergency assignment to deliver at 1 pm,” the lady told the officer. The taskforce team member has to call his supervisor and that was around 12.15 pm. He arrived around 1.50 pm after wasting the lady’s precious time.
DEFECTS IN OUR ROAD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Indeed, these two unfortunate incidents as narrated by this writer should tell us that there is something basically wrong with our road management which must be addressed by the top hierarchy within the road sector quickly. For, how can you arrest motorists in areas within the city where you have not indicated that there should be no parking at those points. Is it being done deliberately to collect illegal money from unsuspecting motorists? Upon all these extortions from car owners, you have the impudence to waste their precious time because you have detained their cars. Is it the Ghana, our cherished and revered country we are dying for? As much as we expect the laws of this country to work efficiently and effectively, those who are to enforce the laws must behave responsibly.
Contact email/WhatsApp of author: ataani2000@yahoo.com 0277753946/0248933366
By Charles Neequaye
Walk into any supermarket in Accra, Kumasi, or Tamale today, and you will see the modern Ghanaian diet packaged as ‘progress.’ You will see breakfast cereals with cartoon mascots, fruit drinks that are mostly sugar and colour, and snacks promising energy and happiness in bright fonts.
Even products loaded with salt and unhealthy fats often wear a health halo labeled as fortified or natural, while the real nutritional risk is hidden in tiny print on the back. This is not just a consumer inconvenience; it is a public health blind spot. Ghana is living through a silent surge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes, and stroke.
These conditions quietly drain household income and steal productive years. According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, NCDs are now responsible for nearly 45 per cent of all deaths in Ghana.
We cannot build a healthy nation on a food environment designed to confuse people at the point of purchase. Ghana must mandate simple front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) on high-sugar, high-salt, and high-fat packaged foods because consumers deserve truth at a glance, and industry must be pushed to reformulate.
Why Back-of-Pack Labels Are Not Enough
In theory, consumers can read nutrition panels. In reality, most Ghanaians shop under pressure, limited time, rising prices, and children tugging at their sleeves. The back label is a relic that requires a high cognitive load to interpret—essentially, the seller knows what is inside, but the buyer cannot easily tell.
This ‘information asymmetry’ is not fair. It is not consumer choice when the information needed to choose well is deliberately difficult to find.
Simple warning labels like the black octagons used in the Chilean Model act as a ‘stop-and-think’ nudge. They do not ban products but they simply tell the truth so people can decide.
Reshaping Our Food Environment
A generation ago, Ghana’s meals were mostly home-prepared, like kenkey and banku with soups and stews. Today, ultra-processed foods have become the norm, especially in urban areas. Children are growing up with sugary drinks and salty snacks as everyday items, not occasional treats.
If Ghana is serious about prevention, we must act where decisions are made—thus, the shelf. Warning labels protect parents from sugar traps and pressure the market to improve. When warning labels are mandatory, manufacturers start to compete to make healthier recipes to avoid the stigma of the label.
Addressing the Pushback
Industry will argue that labels create fear or that education alone is enough. However, health education is slow; labels work immediately. While the informal street food sector is a challenge, regulating pre-packaged goods is the practical starting point because the supply chain is traceable. We cannot wait until the whole system is perfect; we must start where action is feasible.
A 2026 Implementation Roadmap for Ghana
To move from talk to action, Ghana needs this 5-step plan:
- Issue mandatory regulation: The Ministry of Health, Food and Drug Authority (FDA), and Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) must define the label format and nutrient thresholds for all pre-packaged foods.
- Simple, bold symbols: Use plain language and clear symbols, such as “HIGH IN SUGAR,” designed for busy families, not experts.
- Transparent thresholds: Adopt technically defensible standards adapted to the Ghanaian diet.
- Transition and enforce: Provide a 12–18 month period for manufacturers to reformulate, followed by firm enforcement at ports and retail centers.
- National literacy campaign: The Ghana Health Service must pair labels with public messages explaining why high salt or sugar increases disease risk.
Conclusion: Truth Is Not a Luxury
Prevention is cheaper than treatment. A warning label costs little compared to the price of dialysis, stroke rehabilitation, or lifelong diabetes complications. A black octagon on a box of biscuits is more than a label; it is a shield for the health of all Ghanaians. It is time to put the truth where we can see it, right on the front.
By Abigail Amoah Sarfo
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Natives of the Kenkey Kingdom were mad with joy. They were still recovering from the hangover of the kingdom’s loss of the African Cup when their spirits were rekindled. Their great warrior, Zoom Zoom, stormed Melbourne and made sure that every Australian refused food. And that was after he had drawn contour lines on the face of their idol, Jeff Fenech.
Not only did the terrible warrior transform Old Boy Jeff’s face into a contour map useful for geography lessons, but he also accomplished the feat of retaining the much-envied super-kenkeyweight title against all odds. The warrior had not been eating hot kenkey for nothing.
The Fight Against Fenech
When Jeff Fenech bit the dust in the eighth round, I was tempted to consider if Adanko Deka could not have faced him in any twelve-rounder, title or non-title bout. Adanko has improved tremendously, and soon he would be facing Pernell Whitaker.
Sincerely, I was pessimistic about Azumah’s man, who the last time took him through twelve grueling rounds of rough boxing. I expressed my fears to my colleague Christian Abbew, alias Gbonyo, who surprisingly had total confidence that the Australian brawler would fall, predictably in Round Five.
Gbonyo gave reasons for his contention, all of which I counteracted using the age factor. Fact is, I didn’t know that contrary to the laws of nature, Azumah was all the time growing younger.
When Fenech fell briefly in round one, I asked my brother whether it was the same Fenech that fought Azumah in Las Vegas. Sure, it was the same Fenech, all out to beat Azumah before his countrymen.
But the African Professor had no intention of making the Australian a hero. As he spun round the desperate Aussie, dancing and stinging out his jabs, it was not too long before I realized that the end was near.
The Eighth Round Showdown
Two minutes into the eighth round, the African ring-master proved to the whole world that he was a true son of Bukom. He himself was cornered, but like the tough nut he is, he managed to break free before overwhelming the panting Australian with several blows that made him crash headlong.
Moments after, the referee, expressing fatherly sympathy, stopped the fight to prevent an obituary. After the ordeal, Fenech’s fairly handsome face was full of newly constructed hills, valleys, ox-bow lakes—whatever. I noticed that his nose was very tired and had a miniature volcano sitting restlessly on it. Obviously, Jeff’s wife will have to nurse that nose back to its normal shape—but I’d advise her not to use iodine, otherwise her dear husband will wail like a banshee.
Reflections on Boxing
Because Mohammed Ali was the kind of boxer kids liked, many school-going kids often entertained the wish of becoming like him. I remember one day when I told my father I wanted to become a boxer, and he advised me to first complete my education to the highest level. Then, if I decided to become a boxer and was knocked out a couple of times, I’d fall back on my degrees and make a living.
Boxing used to be interesting when bouts were fought more with the mouth and tongue than with gloves. You had to brag well, psychologically belittling your opponent before beating him up physically. Mohammed Ali became a very successful pugilist because he also managed to become a poet. He often blew his horn across America, calling himself the “pretty boxer” and opponents like Joe Frazier “the gorilla.”
Ali made a living fighting hard fists like Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, George Foreman, Leon Spinks, and Trevor Berbick. Twice he came back from retirement to fight just for money. It was Larry Holmes who finally pensioned him, and since then the great Ali has never been himself.
The Path Ahead for Azumah
When Azumah nailed Jeff Fenech on the cross and barked almost immediately that he was after the head of Pernell Whitaker, I was happy but concerned. I would have been happier if he had announced his resignation there and then—he would have been more of a hero. Beating Fenech in Australia is more newsworthy than facing Whitaker in the States.
With Whitaker, it might be a little difficult. The “Sweet Pea” is agile, has a crooked body like a snake with diarrhea, and stands awkwardly as a southpaw. He is known for having the fastest pair of fists and the rare ability to dodge punches no matter how close they may be.
Much as I do not doubt that Azumah can take his title, I also don’t want him to retire beaten. I want him to retire as a hero and live a fuller, healthy life.
As Azumah himself said after dishing Fenech, he is now a professor and has something to show for it. Like a true professor, I think it is time he resigned and took up training young talents who could draw inspiration from him and become like him in the future.
Closing Thoughts
I must say that although ageing boxers like Larry Holmes and George Foreman are making a name for themselves, boxing is not like the Civil Service, where you can even change your age and retire at 74. Zoom Zoom has delighted the hearts of the natives, and Sikaman will forever hold him in high esteem—but only when he retires as a hero.
This article was first published on Saturday, March 7, 1992.
