The Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, is sounding the alarm over the growing theft and vandalism of traffic light infrastructure across Ghana, revealing that even traffic lights situated directly in front of the Police Headquarters in Accra have not been spared.
Addressing Parliament, the Minister attributed the widespread malfunctioning of traffic signals across the country to a combination of theft, vandalism and damage caused by vehicular crashes.
“Traffic lights are being vandalised and components stolen at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, even installations located near critical state security facilities have been affected,” Mr. Agbodza told lawmakers.
The Minister’s comments come amid increasing public concern over non-functional traffic lights at major intersections, which road safety experts say contribute to congestion, accidents and delays for motorists.
Despite the challenges, the roads minister disclosed that the latest assessment by the Department of Urban Roads shows that approximately 63 percent of Ghana’s traffic lights are currently operational.
Out of 411 traffic signal installations across 11 regions under the Department’s jurisdiction, 257 are functioning, while 132 remain inactive. An additional 22 have been permanently decommissioned due to severe structural damage or road redesigns.
According to the Minister, theft syndicates often target batteries, underground cables, controllers and other critical components required for the operation of traffic lights.
Once these components are removed, intersections are left without signal control, creating dangerous conditions for motorists and pedestrians.
The challenge is not new. In 2023, the Ministry of Roads and Highways issued a nationwide warning about the destruction, theft and vandalism of traffic lights, describing the trend as a major financial burden on the state.
The Ministry indicated at the time that replacing vandalised installations often costs as much as constructing entirely new systems.
The National Road Safety Authority has also repeatedly linked the breakdown of traffic lights to theft of critical components.
In 2025, the Authority warned that many faulty traffic lights across the country had been rendered inoperative after thieves removed essential equipment, forcing authorities to rely on police officers to manually control traffic at affected intersections.
The latest disclosure by the Roads Minister is expected to intensify calls for stronger surveillance of road infrastructure, including the installation of tamper-proof systems, CCTV monitoring and stricter enforcement against persons found vandalising public assets.
SOURCE: PRINCE KWAME KUDOGAH, PARLIAMENTARY CORRESPONDENT
