{
  "id": 18703303,
  "title": "'Put lives first, not cost' — Kwasi Kwarteng defends TraffiTech-GH",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/put-lives-first-not-cost-kwasi-kwarteng-defends-traffitech-gh",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-07T11:44:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "3News",
    "slug": "3news",
    "url": "https://3news.com/news/put-lives-first-not-cost-kwasi-kwarteng-defends-traffitech-gh"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kwasi Kwarteng, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has spoken out in defense of the TraffiTech-GH system, emphasizing that the safety benefits outweigh the costs. Kwarteng argued that even a one percent reduction in road accidents would be worthwhile, citing the high number of lives lost due to over-speeding. He shared personal stories of his grandmother and a close friend who have suffered severe injuries due to such accidents. TraffiTech-GH is a new automated traffic enforcement system managed by the Ghana Police Service, using advanced technology to detect and penalize traffic violations. The system, which went live on November 1, 2026, has already recorded thousands of speeding offenses on its first day, with some drivers clocking speeds exceeding 130 km/h on 50 km/h roads. Police officials claim that speeding contributes to 60-62% of road accidents, resulting in numerous injuries and deaths. The National Road Safety Authority reports that speeding and inattentive driving account for roughly 58-59% of road fatalities in Ghana. The system's cost is estimated at GH₵77.73 million over an 11-year contract period, with a 60/40 revenue split favoring the government and the private partner, Nationwide Traffic Management and Enforcement Limited (NTMEL). Kwarteng believes that even a slight reduction in accidents would save countless lives and prevent families from experiencing the pain of losing loved ones.",
  "summary": "Mr Kwarteng made the comments amid ongoing public debate over the cost, fairness and revenue-sharing arrangement of the new automated traffic enforcement system, which went live on November 1, 2026.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Why South Africa’s Diwali dates cannot be reduced to administrative convenience",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/why-south-africas-diwali-dates-cannot-be-reduced-to-administrative",
        "published": "2026-11-07T04:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}