By D.I. Laary
Accra, Feb 21, GNA – The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has said it is stepping up checks on motorcycle helmets entering the country after developing national helmet standards.
The move follows Parliament’s approval of commercial motorcycle operations and renewed concerns about unsafe helmets linked to rising rider injuries and deaths.
Speaking at a sensitisation meeting with commercial motorcycle riders in Accra, Mr Kingsley Domena Yeboah, an engineer with the GSA, said the new national helmet standards now give the authorities a clear basis to stop unsafe products.
The LRC organised the sensitisation meeting to help motorcycle and tricycle riders understand speed management and Ghana’s new mandatory helmet standard (GS 4512:2025).
“Before now, there was no standard, so you couldn’t even say what was substandard,” he said.
“But with the standard in place, we can enforce it at the ports. If a helmet doesn’t have a Certificate of Conformance, it will not be approved,” he added.
Mr Yeboah stated that enforcement would now begin at the point of entry and that “Without a standard, you cannot call anything substandard.”
He added: “Now that the standard exists, we can enforce it at the ports. Helmets coming into the country must meet the requirements. Without a Certificate of Conformance, we cannot grant approval.
“We don’t tell them today and enforce tomorrow. Importers were given a moratorium to fine-tune their products or change suppliers.
“After that, officers will be checking for test reports, markings and construction quality. This is how we keep unsafe helmets out.”
Mr Yeboah said gaps in the market had allowed unsafe helmets to circulate for years, adding, “people were bringing in anything because there was no regulation. Now we have a standard, and from now on, this is what manufacturers and importers must meet.”
He further stated that GSA is working with spare parts dealers to identify all importers who bring in low-grade helmets and that some of the unsafe helmets came in because there was no regulation.
“Bringing in substandard helmets must also be traced. We are already engaging groups like Abossey Kai to locate them,” he said.
Mr Enock Jengre, The Program Officer at the Legal Resources Centre (LRC), said the new standard gives Ghana a way to remove fake helmets from the market.
He said: “For years, riders bought plastic caps that looked like helmets but offered no protection0…We finally have a tool to change that. This (helmet standards) gives us a practical way to push substandard products out.” Mr. Denis Yeribu, the NRSA Principal Planning Manager, said helmets remain essential to reducing riders’ deaths, especially as Ghana prepares to regularise Okada operations.
“Head injuries are the biggest cause of motorcycle crash deaths,” he said, adding that, a proper helmet can cut the risk of death by about 40 per cent. With commercial motorcycling approved, we cannot continue with unsafe helmets in circulation.”
He said the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Eastern regions have consistently recorded high crash numbers because of heavy traffic and faster highway corridors.
“Where volumes and speeds are high, collisions naturally rise,” he said. Leaders of the National Commercial Motor Riders Union welcomed the standard but said they want more involvement in the implementation process.
National Chairman Mohammed Tijani said: “You cannot form a committee on Okada without those who run the sector on the ground. A standard helmet protects life, so we support it, but the product must also be affordable.”
National Secretary AbdulRazak Rahman said many helmets sold on the market crack easily and lack ventilation.
Razak Rahman said many helmets sold on the market crack easily and lack ventilation.
“Riders want something that protects them and is comfortable to wear,” he said.
“QR codes will also help people check if a helmet is genuine,” he said further. National PRO Mr Solomon Akpanaba said many crashes happen because of poor skills stemming from a lack of training, not just speed.
“Most crashes are due to lack of training,” he said.
“Delivery riders especially need training because of the pressure of their work,” he added.
Officials said the meeting was timely because legalising commercial motorcycling has raised new concerns about how well riders and passengers are protected on the road.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah
