Some attendees seated during the programme
Over 2300 people have been killed and 12800 people injured as a result of road accidents in Ghana this year alone.
The road carnage situation in the country reportedly leads to a loss of over USD160M of the country’s GDP.
Accidents on our road corridors also take a massive toll on transit trade, leading to the loss of human resources, cargoes as well as significant delays in transit time.
This goes a long way to increase the cost of doing business for Ghana’s transit trading partners, which in the long run makes our ports and corridors unattractive.
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Ghana, is keen on making a meaningful contribution to national efforts to subvert the incessant rise in road accidents.
To this end, CILT Ghana has organized a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme for various logistics and transport operators in Tema.
The workshop also brought together major stakeholders that play critical roles in the national road safety machinery such as the National Road Safety Authority and the Ghana Police Service.
Other key stakeholders present were the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and the Joint Association of Port Transport Unions (JAPTU) among others.
During the program, particular focus was given to instilling a professional culture and an attitudinal change among all stakeholders of the road traffic system in Ghana.
Speaking to Eye on Port, the President of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Ghana, Engineer Mark Amoamah indicated that the program has been tailored to ensure that real impact is felt on the ground.
The President of CILT Ghana disclosed that, “we are signing some Memorandum of understanding with the various logistics organizations to ensure what we discuss here is implemented in an action plan with the kind of professionalism expected of them.”
The Director of Operations at the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, Dr. Samuel Sasu-Mensah, also touched on some of the strategies the Police Service has embarked on to curb the menace.
He said, “we have a monitoring and surveillance centre at the police headquarters. With the cameras we have installed, we are able to capture from a live feed, drivers who are not respecting traffic rules and regulations on our highways. So even if there are no policemen on the roads, we are able to fish out irresponsible drivers.”
Representing the Director-General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the General Manager, Administration at GPHA, George Bredu remarked that the losses from the road carnage situation are too grim and should be treated with urgency.