Gov’t committed to scaling up investments to tackle road accidents – Akufo-Addo
The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has disclosed that his government is committed to scaling up investments to tackle road carnages in the country.
Ghana in the past weekend recorded multiple accidents in various regions that resulted in the death of at least 17 people.
Delivering a keynote address at the maiden edition of the Kofi Annan Road Safety Awards in Accra on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, President Akufo-Addo said although Ghana has come a long way, a lot more need to be done to address road safety challenges.
He said his government is committed to making additional investments in road safety initiatives to ensure lives are protected.
“In Ghana, the government acknowledges that the current safety situation is not satisfactory but we remain committed to scaling up our investments in road safety initiatives and building partnerships that will help engineer improvements. We cannot rest on our ores, we must act timely and decisively to arrest the situation,” President Akufo-Addo shared.
With other countries on the continent also faced with road carnage problems annually, the President who is also chair of ECOWAS urged other heads of states to take a cue from best practices around the world and adopt initiatives that will help combat road accidents.
“My expectation is that this award ceremony will encourage our respective countries on the continent to learn from the best practices and experiences around the globe to tackle the road safety situation.
“Let us be inspired by these awards and drive positive change in our respective countries,” H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo shared.
The primary objective of the Kofi Annan Road Safety Award is to motivate key stakeholders including governments, the private sector, and civil society organisations to develop and implement innovative and outstanding initiatives to save lives.
The maiden edition was put together by the government of Ghana in collaboration with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, and the African Transport Policy Programme (SSATP).
Subsequent award ceremonies, envisaged to be bi-annual could be held during a high-level event such as the ECA Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development or during a meeting of transport professionals such as the annual meeting of SSATP.