The Motors and Bikers Tricycles Riders Association of Ghana (MONTRA-GHANA) has been launched with a call on motor riders to observe road traffic regulations.

The 156,000-member strong Association seeks to bring all motor riders, particularly commercial riders (Okada), together for the purpose of coordination and regulation of their activities.

Mr Dawuda Mohammed, National Coordinator of MONTRA-Ghana, said the Association is the first of its kind to be formed for motor riders in the country.

He said MONTRA-Ghana is a registered association with the Registrar-General‘s Department under the Company Act, 1963, Act 179.

The National Coordinator said the Association among others would be a mouthpiece of motor riders and bikers in the country in order to regulate and coordinate the activities of its members.

Mr Mohammed said they would ensure that riders who are members of the Association obeyed traffic rules and regulations.

He said the association would ensure that MONTRA-Ghana members were covered by insurance companies, adding that, this would ensure that the welfare of members was well catered.

“The Association will provide uniforms, ID cards, and other embossments to its members for the purpose of security, safety, uniformity, identification and revenue mobilisation,” he said.

Mr Mohammed said the importance of commercial riders cannot be overemphasised since they provided alternative source of transport to most Ghanaians, as well as, it was a source of employment to the youth engaged in the trade.

Reverend Kofi Ntim, Road Safety Ambassador with the National Road Safety Commission, said the Association was an important platform to bring motor and tricycle riders together.

He commended the executives of the Association for creating such a platform for motor riders, advising them to make sure their members obeyed road traffic regulations.

Reverend Ntim called on motor riders to ensure they had their road worthy licences and wore appropriate attires and safety helmets whenever they were riding their bikes.

Mr D. S. Dawuda Mahama, National Chairman of MONTRA-Ghana, who chaired the event, said there were currently 156,000 members across the 16 regions of the country, calling on all motor riders to join them.