{
  "id": 12354355,
  "title": "Jail term for preaching in commercial vehicles increased to eight months",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/jail-term-for-preaching-in-commercial-vehicles-increased-to-eight",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-06T09:49:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "GBC Ghana",
    "slug": "gbc-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.gbcghanaonline.com/general/commercial-vehicles/2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new Ghanaian law, effective from 2026, mandates an eight-month prison sentence for individuals who preach or sell goods from moving commercial vehicles. The Road Traffic Regulations 2026 (L.I. 2519), which updates the 2012 Road Traffic Regulations, maintains the ban on such activities but imposes stricter penalties. Under the new law, offenders could face a fine between 10 and 50 penalty units, or up to eight months in prison, or both. One penalty unit currently equals GH¢12, making the fine range from GH¢120 to GH¢600. The amendment classifies these actions as nuisances within the road traffic regulation framework. While the restriction on preaching and hawking in moving vehicles dates back to 2012, the 2026 rules introduce a more severe punishment. The revised regulations form part of broader initiatives by the Ghanaian government to enhance discipline, enforcement, and road safety. The Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, initiated a nationwide awareness campaign in September to inform road users and transport operators about the amendments. Other reforms include automated traffic enforcement, a demerit-point system tied to driving licenses, and harsher penalties for specific traffic violations. The provision applies to religious preaching and commercial hawking inside public or commercial vehicles while in motion, not to any specific religion. This amendment should not be seen as a new ban but rather a tougher enforcement of existing regulations. The sensitization campaign aims to ensure that all road users understand and comply with the revised requirements.",
  "summary": "People who preach or hawk goods inside moving commercial or public vehicles in Ghana could face up to eight months in prison under the Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519). The revised regulations retain the prohibition on such activities but introduce tougher consequences for those who breach the provision. Offenders may face a fine of […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}