SOCIAL

AMA receives support from Bloomberg Philanthropies to help reduce road crashes
The Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) has donated traffic management equipment to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) as part of a concerted effort to promote road safety in the city.

Date Created : 3/27/2024 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Samuel Dodoo/Ghanadistricts.com

The donation, aimed at equipping the city's enforcement drive to mitigate road hazards, includes items such as LED-light batons, reflective vests, traffic cones, directional signposts, raincoats.

Rebecca Bavinger, a Public Health Professional at Bloomberg Philanthropies handed over the equipment to the AMA on Monday when she called on the Mayor of Accra as part of a six-day working visit to Ghana.?

She disclosed that the initiative would officially end in 2025 and expressed gratitude to the AMA?for the collaboration describing the partnership as wonderful.

"As you know, we are engaged in the initiative with Accra through the end of 2025, we have less than two years left with the whole programme, so we want to accomplish as much as we can in the next 21 months we have left and looking forward to your leadership. It has been a wonderful collaboration until now," Bavinger stated.

She mentioned some key achievements of the initiative citing the construction of road safety enhancement works at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, London Market Street, among others.

Others were the training of police officers and communication agencies and AMA enforcement team, donation of 12 speed guns to AMA for the Police, as well as collaboration with journalists to report on issues of road safety.??

Mrs Elizabeth Kwatsoe Sackey, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, who received the items expressed profound gratitude to Bloomberg Philanthropies for their unwavering support and commitment to road safety initiatives stressing that the donation would augment the city's capabilities to address road safety challenges effectively.

"As Accra continues to grapple with the complexities of urban mobility and traffic management, partnerships like these serve as a beacon of hope, instilling confidence in the collective effort to create safer and more sustainable transportation systems.

“With this traffic management equipment, Accra is poised to embark on a transformative journey towards safer roads and enhanced public security," she said.

Mrs Sackey identified motorbikes as the foremost challenge to road safety in the city and emphasised the urgent need for comprehensive measures to address the escalating risks posed by motorbikes on the streets of Accra.

"Motorbikes have become a major challenge to road safety in Accra... Their indiscriminate use, disregard for traffic laws, and speeding contribute significantly to the high rate of road crashes being witnessed in the city daily," she stated.?

She gave assurance that the Assembly would intensify education and enforcement activities to deter deviant behaviours on the road.?

The BIGRS aims to reduce road crash fatalities and injuries in low and middle-income countries and cities by implementing a?comprehensive set of actions?that are proven to save lives.

In 2020, the BIGRS commenced its third phase, which will run to 2025.?

Priority cities of the new BIGRS phase include?Accra, Addis Ababa, Bengaluru, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kampala, Kumasi, Mumbai, New Delhi, Sao Paulo, Salvador, and Recife.

Samuel Dodoo

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) has donated traffic management equipment to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) as part of a concerted effort to promote road safety in the city.

The donation, aimed at equipping the city's enforcement drive to mitigate road hazards, includes items such as LED-light batons, reflective vests, traffic cones, directional signposts, raincoats.

Rebecca Bavinger, a Public Health Professional at Bloomberg Philanthropies handed over the equipment to the AMA on Monday when she called on the Mayor of Accra as part of a six-day working visit to Ghana.?

She disclosed that the initiative would officially end in 2025 and expressed gratitude to the AMA?for the collaboration describing the partnership as wonderful.

"As you know, we are engaged in the initiative with Accra through the end of 2025, we have less than two years left with the whole programme, so we want to accomplish as much as we can in the next 21 months we have left and looking forward to your leadership. It has been a wonderful collaboration until now," Bavinger stated.

She mentioned some key achievements of the initiative citing the construction of road safety enhancement works at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, London Market Street, among others.

Others were the training of police officers and communication agencies and AMA enforcement team, donation of 12 speed guns to AMA for the Police, as well as collaboration with journalists to report on issues of road safety.??

Mrs Elizabeth Kwatsoe Sackey, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, who received the items expressed profound gratitude to Bloomberg Philanthropies for their unwavering support and commitment to road safety initiatives stressing that the donation would augment the city's capabilities to address road safety challenges effectively.

"As Accra continues to grapple with the complexities of urban mobility and traffic management, partnerships like these serve as a beacon of hope, instilling confidence in the collective effort to create safer and more sustainable transportation systems.

“With this traffic management equipment, Accra is poised to embark on a transformative journey towards safer roads and enhanced public security," she said.

Mrs Sackey identified motorbikes as the foremost challenge to road safety in the city and emphasised the urgent need for comprehensive measures to address the escalating risks posed by motorbikes on the streets of Accra.

"Motorbikes have become a major challenge to road safety in Accra... Their indiscriminate use, disregard for traffic laws, and speeding contribute significantly to the high rate of road crashes being witnessed in the city daily," she stated.?

She gave assurance that the Assembly would intensify education and enforcement activities to deter deviant behaviours on the road.?

The BIGRS aims to reduce road crash fatalities and injuries in low and middle-income countries and cities by implementing a?comprehensive set of actions?that are proven to save lives.

In 2020, the BIGRS commenced its third phase, which will run to 2025.?

Priority cities of the new BIGRS phase include?Accra, Addis Ababa, Bengaluru, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kampala, Kumasi, Mumbai, New Delhi, Sao Paulo, Salvador, and Recife.