Tamale: The Motorbike Capital of Ghana
Travelers who visit Tamale often find the streets fascinating. Motorbikes are everywhere. The young, the old, women with babies, and men with their children all commute on motorbikes in Tamale.
Let me tell you why motorbikes are an integral part of life in this northern Ghanaian city. The Northern Region, especially Tamale, is considered one of the poorest areas in the country. Very few people can afford cars, yet everyone needs to move from one place to another to get things done. In the past, the most common means of transport was the bicycle. Almost every household owned one because it was affordable and practical for daily use.
Today, motorbikes have replaced bicycles, and nearly every household owns one. Aside from being affordable, motorbikes are fast and help people avoid traffic. In Tamale, owning a motorbike is seen as more prestigious than owning a car, so even those who have cars often own motorbikes too.
A mother balances her baby while riding through Tamale on a two-wheel motorbike.
Children learn to ride at an early age, and women also learn so they can easily transport themselves to the market. In Tamale, it’s considered embarrassing not to know how to ride a motorbike.
There are three main types of motorbikes in Tamale. The two-wheel motorbike is the most common and is mainly used for personal transport. Families buy them to move around easily.
The three-wheel motorbike comes in two main types. The first has a bucket at the back for carrying goods and is popularly known as “Motorkia” or “Motorking.” It is mostly used for commercial purposes. Traders from nearby villages use them to transport foodstuffs and goods to the Tamale market. Although designed for carrying loads, villagers also board them back home because the fares are cheaper.
Passengers ride in a local tricycle taxi known as Yellow Yellow, a popular alternative to cars in Tamale.
The other type of three-wheel motorbike is used to carry passengers and is popularly known as the “Yellow Yellow” or “Mahama Camboo.” This was introduced to discourage residents from riding in Motorkings with goods. Aside from the two-wheel motorbikes, the bucket-style three-wheelers were the first to become common in Tamale, mainly to help traders and farmers transport items from their farms and villages to the city. However, due to the high cost of taxis at the time, people began using Motorkings to carry passengers at a lower cost. This became so popular that many residents preferred it despite the safety risks.
As road accidents involving Motorkings increased, authorities introduced the passenger-style three-wheel motorbike to provide a safer option for riders and commuters.
In Tamale, there are significantly more motorbikes than there are all kinds of vehicles put together.
Motorbikes mean a lot to the people of Tamale, and life here almost revolves around them. It’s nearly impossible to survive in Tamale without one.
Tamale remains the only place in Ghana where you’ll see so many people relying on motorbikes as their main form of transport. So when you visit, be ready to hop on a motorbike if you want to get around easily.
A long row of motorbikes parked outside Tamale Teaching Hospital, showing the city’s deep motorbike culture.
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