Accra: For a period of my life, I drove for Bolt and Yango across Accra. I wasn't just transporting passengers. I was unknowingly conducting one of the largest unofficial field studies in the city.
According to Ghana Web, every night I gathered primary data with no questionnaires, no focus groups, and no PowerPoint presentations - just thousands of kilometres behind the steering wheel. One thing became abundantly clear: Accra has two shift managers. One works from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The other takes over after 10:00 p.m. and unfortunately, he rarely reports for duty. Road conditions worsen, darkness envelops major roads, and police visibility declines.
A notable concern is the Pantang stretch, a vital road leading to one of Ghana's most important mental health facilities. The road is riddled with potholes and has deteriorated significantly, creating an obstacle course for night drivers. The lack of street lighting compounds the issue, making navigation difficult, especially for unfamiliar drivers.
Another surprising observation is the lack of functioning street lights around Flagstaff House, the seat of Ghana's Presidency. If this is part of a deliberate security strategy, it is understandable, but if not, it raises concerns. If the area around the Presidency can go dark, imagine the condition of communities with far less visibility.
The Tema Motorway presents another challenge with large sections poorly illuminated at night. While some attribute this to theft and maintenance issues, the fact remains that ordinary Ghanaians drive through these darkened roads. Additionally, police visibility significantly drops after 2:00 a.m., leaving some checkpoints unmanned and creating opportunities for criminal activities like drug trafficking and robbery.
Rather than merely complaining, practical solutions could make a real difference. A public road maintenance dashboard could allow citizens to track reported defects, responsible agencies, and repair timelines. Regular night-time infrastructure audits could assess roads, lighting, signals, and security under real-world conditions.
Smart street lighting with remote fault detection and stronger safeguards against vandalism, data-driven policing, and priority maintenance for roads serving essential public facilities could enhance safety. A digital channel for drivers to report road issues and published performance indicators for road conditions and emergency response could also contribute to improvements.
The night economy deserves the same level of protection as the daytime economy. Perhaps we should spend less time debating political contributions to infrastructure and more time addressing the persistent potholes. Infrastructure and safety should transcend politics, ensuring good governance doesn't retire at 10:00 p.m.