Feature: Markets On The Motorway: Gov’t New Markets Will Stand Empty Unless…
Street hawking on the carriageway is prohibited under Ghana’s road traffic law, recently strengthened by the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act 1153) and the new Road Traffic Regulations (L.I. 2519). Yet on Friday 14 August 2026, footage from Lapaz showed the N1 highway in Accra functioning as an open market. The pattern is national. […] The post Feature: Markets On The Motorway: Gov’t New…
Street hawking on Ghana's roadways is illegal under the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), which was amended in 2025 (Act 1153) and further regulated by the Road Traffic Regulations (L.I. 2519). However, footage from the N1 highway in Accra showed a bustling market scene on August 14, 2026. The issue is not with the purpose-built market stalls, but with the shopping habits of Ghanaians, who prefer to purchase goods where the traffic is dense.
The government is constructing 24-Hour Economy markets throughout the nation, yet unless enforcement, market design, and civic behavior are addressed concurrently, these markets will likely suffer the same fate as Kejetia, being financed, commissioned, and ultimately abandoned. The article explores the causes and suggests remedies for this concerning trend.
Written by urgent.news from The Chronicle Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
