'We dey heal di sick inside bus' - Ghana pastors fit go jail if dem preach inside public motor

Bifor di morning rush start, di sound of praise and worship dey fill Neoplan bus station for Accra, as group of Christians dey gada to prepare to spread gospel for vehicles wey dey carry travellers across di kontri.

As di drumming and dancing dey go on, Boateng Bismark James dey lead 13 worshippers, nine men and four women, wey dey pray for drivers and passengers wey dey travel go different places for Ghana.

Ghana na mostly Christian kontri wia to dey preach for public transport no be strange tin.

For long-distance buses, dem fit see pastors - and hear dem - as dem dey preach di gospel.

Sometimes dem go stand for di stairwell next to di driver, sometimes dem go dey waka up and down di aisle dey read Bible and dey call on sinners make dem repent wit loud voices. Dem no dey stop even if di journey go last for several hours.

Di faithful sometimes dey give money to di preachers to support dia endeavours.

But di new law mean say dis familiar practice fit end soon.

Anyone wey dem catch wey dey preach for public service motor fit face up to eight months for prison, fine of up to $52 (£39) or both.

Di new regulation, wey parliament pass for May, wey dem start to dey enforce in recent weeks, target preaching and hawking for vehicles wen e dey move, as dem classify both as nuisance wey dey affect passengers safety and comfort.

Boateng wey be 61 years old pastor for Gospel Light church don dey preach for commercial vehicles wey dey leave Neoplan station since 2023.

"I dey preach inside commercial vehicles becos no be evribodi fit go church for Sunday. Many passengers need our message of salvation to repent from dia sins. We even dey heal di sick for some buses," e tell di BBC for Twi, wey be local language.

Boateng wey wear clerical collared shirt move through rows of buses wey dey load passengers bifor e enta one wey dey go Kumasi, Ghana second-largest city.

We follow am tok bifor di bus move so we no go break di law.

Some travellers dey listen to am well-well as e dey deliver im message. Odas dey try to ignore am, dem dey browse dia phones, dey make calls or dey gist among demsefs.

"Some passengers dey veri happy wit my message. Some even tok say dem neva hear dis kain message for church, but through my preaching, dem don know say e dey for Bible," e tok.

Di new rules get divided opinions.

Critics tok say preaching for moving vehicle na nuisance and get safety risk, as e fit distract di driver, while supporters dey argue say evangelism na Christian duty and suppose dey protected under freedom of religious worship.

One woman, wey dey in her early 30s and wey identify as Chery Lokko, say she prefer make she travel in peace.

"I no like am becos dem dey disturb. Some of dem dey spit on you unconsciously, especially if you dey sit near dem, and dem dey make noise and saliva dey evriwia. I like my peace wenevea I dey for public transport."

Inside one video wey dey circulate on social media recently, one passenger for one minibus wey dey vex, confront one pastor wey wan enta.

"Come down, I say come down," e shout.

But for dis kontri, wey dey among di most religious for di world, odas tok say evangelism ontop public transport na important way to reach pipo wey no dey go church.

Bernice Nartey, one passenger wey dey travel go Kumasi, say make dem allow pastors to preach, but only wit passengers agreement.

"Di preaching sometimes dey help pipo to repent. For instance, if pesin dey go through stress, di pastor message fit give am new hope," she tok.

Boateng tok say e don dey shaken by di regulation and wan make dem give religious preachers exemption.

"We dey veri worried, becos most pastors here dey depend on preaching to take care of dia families through di money wey passengers dey give dem," e tok.

"Di govment suppose allow us to preach inside bus and comot wen e dey comot for Accra," e tok.

For Boateng, preaching no be just religious mata but e dey bring good money too.

"I don dey able to take care of my children education. My last-born just finish university, and half of di money wey support am na from di money wey I make from preaching."

Ghana constitution guarantee freedom of religion, although di rights dey subjected to tins wey include public safety.

Dem first ban preaching inside commercial buses for Ghana for 2012, offenders fit face up to 30 days for prison.

But enforcement no strong, so di practice still dey common, particularly for buses. Di new law don beef up penalty for pipo wey dey flout di ban.

You fit also see or hear preachers wey dey use megaphone for Ghana lorry parks and markets, but di ban no affect dem.

Di Christian Council of Ghana no respond to BBC request for comment, but Rev Enoch Paul Hayes, senior pastor for one of di biggest churches for Ghana, di International Central Gospel Church, tell BBC say e no tink say di new rules dey block religious freedom.

E urge fellow pastors make dem no break di law, say make dem find oda ways to spread dia message.

"Social media na alternative outlet, wia di same message fit reach thousands of pipo," e tok.

For Boateng and oda bus preachers, di new rules dey create hard choice between adjusting dia ministry, and giving up important source of income, or risk falling foul of di law.