KMA, BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES COLLABORATES TO CURB ROAD ACCIDENTS IN KUMASI

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) have begun a six-year support project towards the prevention of road traffic accidents in the Greater Kumasi enclave in the Ashanti Region

    The initiative which is under partnership for Heathy Cities(PHE) will particularly center on the prevention of road crashes that lead to injuries and loss of lives.

  Hon. Osei Assibey Antwi, the Kumasi Mayor, in a statement indicated that the Assembly under this project, would improve data management, infrastructure, monitoring, enforcement and communication on road safety.

 “Our development partners will offer technical and financial support to the city to implement strategies proven to be effective in the preventing road traffic death and injuries, in line with best international practices.” Hon. Osei Assibey noted.

Statisticsaccording to Kelly Larson of Bloomberg, indicated that approximately 1.3million people were killed world-wide in road accidents and road trafficinjuries were the eighth cause of death world-wide and the number one death of peoplebetween the ages of 5 and 29years.

Theparticipating cities include Accra and Kumasi(Ghana) Addis Ababa(Ethiopia)Bogota(Colombia), Gualala Jira (Mexico), Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city (Vientiane)Kampala(Uganda), Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi (India) and Sao Paulo,Salvador and Recife(Brazil).

 The third phase of the project which waslaunched on 1^st July, 2020 by the MCE, Hon. Osei Assibey Antwi withthe support of six other MCE’S from the six Municipalities within the GreaterKumasi enclave was aimed at saving 600,000 lives and preventing 22 millioninjuries in low and medium income countries around the world.

TheAshanti Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) stated thattheir collaboration is on four major risk factors which includes over speeding,drunk driving, wearing seatbelt and child restraints.

 The launch was well attended by participantdrawn from the National Road Safety Commission, Road Safety Advocates, TransportOperators and Drivers, the Ghana Police Service, MTTD, the media and some headsof department at the KMA.