The Municipal Chief Executive for Mfantseman, Hon. Eric Stanley Acquah, has declared that all individuals operating tricycles—popularly known as Pragyia or Okada—within the municipality must be at least 21 years old, possess a valid driver’s license, and be registered members of the Mfantseman Pragyia Association.
Speaking on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at his Saltpond office during a courtesy visit from the leadership of the Mankessim Pragyia Association, Mr. Acquah stressed that these directives were non-negotiable and violators would be held accountable under the law.
Affectionately referred to as “Mfantseman K. K.,” the MCE praised the association’s leadership for their ongoing commitment to development and pledged his full support in achieving President John Dramani Mahama’s broader agenda of “resetting” national institutions and systems. He noted that the formalisation and regulation of tricycle operations is central to the president’s vision for inclusive and organised local transportation.
Mr. Acquah lauded the Mankessim Pragyia Association’s voluntary efforts in cleaning up communities and filling potholes along major routes in the municipality. He encouraged them to intensify such initiatives as part of their social responsibility and pledged to inform the President about their outstanding performance, suggesting it could serve as a model for similar efforts across the country.
The association’s patron, Osiadeyo Adu Gyamfi Marfo, who also manages Kingdom FM, commended the Mankessim Divisional Police and MTTD Commander ASP Beatrice Sintim Koree for their consistent guidance. He reiterated the group’s readiness to support the assembly in any developmental initiative aligned with the President’s reset agenda.
Mr. Marfo cited the association’s recent rehabilitation of the Mankessim–Saltpond–Cape Coast highway, a stretch notorious for accidents, as a significant achievement that has enhanced safety and improved transport flow.
Meanwhile, the association’s chairman, Mr. Mahama Joshua, appealed to the assembly for office space to improve their operations and called on the MCE to expedite road repairs across the municipality to ease the movement of people, goods, and services.
As the government prepares legislation to regularise commercial tricycle and motorcycle operations nationwide, Mfantseman is fast emerging as a blueprint for community-led development and effective local governance. Whether this pioneering model will influence national policy remains to be seen.
