For more than two decades, Ghana’s highways have been plagued by poorly constructed and unmarked speed ramps, a deadly trend that continues to claim lives despite repeated warnings from road safety experts. From the early 2000s, when communities first started mounting unauthorized ramps to slow speeding vehicles, through to successive governments that sanctioned the practice without proper engineering standards, these ramps have been a constant danger.
On highways like Accra–Kumasi, Cape Coast–Takoradi, and Tamale–Bolgatanga, speed ramps were installed as quick fixes to rising road accidents. But instead of providing safety, the lack of warning signs, reflective markings, and streetlights has turned them into instruments of death. Motorists crash into them daily, especially at night, leading to countless avoidable fatalities.
Reports by the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) over the years have highlighted the role of poor road design—including unmarked ramps—in Ghana’s road carnage, yet little has changed. Governments have made lofty promises, but the ramps remain, silent killers dotting the highways.
It is time for Ghana to confront this decades-old problem with seriousness. Clear signage, reflective paint, streetlights, and adherence to road engineering standards must no longer be optional—they must be mandatory. Until then, these ramps will remain state-sanctioned death traps, claiming lives while the authorities look away.
