News
Bolt enhances safety of drivers with new app features
Country Manager of Bolt in Ghana, David Kotei Nikoi.
Bolt, the leading ride-hailing platform in Ghana, has introduced two new features on the app to keep its drivers safe and a unique rating system to improve its riders’ experience.
Similar to the riding-sharing feature for riders, the new safety feature will allow drivers to share a link with their friends or loved ones that shows their real-time journey information.
The link can be shared via email, SMS, WhatsApp or Telegram so that any third party with access to the link can follow the ride status and location in real-time.
Making the announcement, the Country Manager of Bolt in Ghana, David Kotei Nikoi, said that Bolt committed to constantly improving in-app driver and rider safety. For this reason, the ride-hailing leader has introduced an active safety feature for all drivers across Ghana.
“This feature is meant to add an extra layer of driver safety whenever necessary and will act as a deterrent to people with potential malicious intent against our drivers”, he noted.
A new in-app feature, known as Driver Score, has been introduced for driver rating. Driver Score is a transparent metric allowing drivers to better understand their in-app performance and adapt to riders’ needs.
It is designed to increase the quality of service and help drivers maximise their earnings, living up to Bolt’s promise of ‘ensuring a positive driver and rider experience.”
For drivers, the Bolt Driver app offers a comprehensive and transparent breakdown of the criteria and statistics that are put together to determine their driver score. These include cancellation rate, completed rides, safety, and any inappropriate driver behaviour.
Commenting on this new feature, Nikoi said, “We believe that anyone who signs up to drive with Bolt wants to be a great driver. As such, the Driver Score feature gives them constant feedback about their performance which helps drivers improve.
It encourages improvements in drivers’ habits and helps them to offer the best possible rider experience.”
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has amended the charges in the ongoing case against former National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Chief Executive, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, and nine others.
The number of counts has risen from 25 to 54 after investigators uncovered new evidence.
The accused are facing trial for alleged large-scale extortion, abuse of public office, and money laundering involving over GH¢291 million and US$332,000.
According to the OSP, the accused persons allegedly extorted huge sums of money from bulk oil transporters and oil marketing companies under the pretext of carrying out official duties.
The proceeds were reportedly laundered through the purchase of properties and investments in business entities to conceal their source.
The accused persons include Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Jacob Kwamina Amuah, Wendy Newman, Albert Ankrah, Isaac Mensah, Bright Bediako-Mensah, Kwaku Aboagye Acquaah, Propnest Limited, Kel Logistics Limited, and Kings Energy Limited.
The OSP has also seized and frozen several assets, including tanker trucks, fuel stations, houses, apartments, and parcels of land valued at more than GH¢100 million pending the outcome of the trial.
The case, titled The Republic v. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid & 9 Others (Cr/0603/2025), is currently being heard at the Accra High Court.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The National Operations Directorate (NOD) Surveillance Unit, of the Ghana Police Service has arrested a 32-year-old man, Akoto Nelson, for posing as a police officer during a public event at the Black Star Square in Accra.
The suspect was arrested on Sunday, 19th October 2025, by a team of officers deployed to provide security at a musical concert. The team observed the suspect dressed in a police uniform with the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) behaving suspiciously. Upon interrogation, he admitted that he was not a police officer.
Investigations revealed that the suspect impersonated a police officer to gain free entry to the event, claiming he did not have money to pay the entry fee. He further disclosed that the uniform belonged to a deceased Chief Inspector, identified as Gyasi, from whom he obtained the police accoutrements in 2022.
A subsequent search conducted at his residence in Taifa-Ashaiman uncovered several items that were retained as exhibits. These include one toy P99 pistol, one pepper spray, two ZTE mini handsets, one pepper spray pouch, one ZTE charger, one Xinfa cutter knife, some complimentary cards, one voter ID in the name of Akoto Nelson Elikem, and one birth certificate in the name of Nelson Akoto.
Preliminary investigations further established that the suspect works as a security guard and a messenger at a private company. He remains in police custody and will be put before the court.
