October 5, 2021
By Audrey John
Sierra Leone Roads Safety Authority has played host to delegates from the West Africa Roads Safety Authority in a weeklong conference based on the theme Strengthening Road Safety in West Africa through Regional Integration.
Delivering the keynote at the West Africa Road Safety Conference convened at the Aberdeen Bintumani Hotel Information Minister Mohamed Abdurrahman Swaray says Sierra Leone is pleased to host experts in road safety from around the sub region to discuss progress and challenges relevant to global road safety targets 2021 to 2030. He said this is consistent with the implementation of sustainable goals in West Africa and the various instruments, legal frameworks and convention on road safety including the UN Road Safety Convention.
He said it is commendable that Sierra Leone is among few countries in West Africa with established road safety authority recognized as a global public health menace as part of its statutory mandate.
He disclosed that Sierra Leone has identified black spots along the countries major highways with a view of establishing post-crash centers equipped with modern first aid paraphernalia and ambulances so as to optimize quick response to accidents.
He used the occasion to urge corporate, government and non-governmental organization to support this initiative.
He indicated that the attainment of road safety and the attendant benefits of the decreased fatalities and disabilities by avoidable road accidents are intrinsically related to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals 11; adding that the government of Sierra Leone id committed to the said goal and has demonstrated the resolve through policy implementation such as the medium term national development plan under the leadership of President Julius Bio.
He asserted that mainstreaming road safety mechanism in the sub region would significantly help save lives of the more three hundred and sixty seven million Ecowas citizens.
Buttressing the point the Deputy Minister Rex Bonapha said the slogan save lives, healthy lives is the collective hope and aspiration of governments in the sub region, mindful of wanton loss of lives and limbs on roads within the sub region. He lauded the government for taken the issue as a priority consistent with sustainable development goals. He said to achieve an ECOWAS Vision 2050 that is people centered; we must build a road infrastructure that is dependable and robust with the future in mind. He disclosed that there are 50 million projects underway to enhance traffic flow for both public and private transportation. He announced that in few months’ traffic lights and cameras will be installed at busy street intersections and decrepit vehicles that risk prone replaced with ultra-modern buses.
Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion Brima Munda Sowa welcomed the delegates. He conveyed the thanks of the minister to the delegates and government officials. He thereafter introduced the delegates from West Africa countries that attended the conference. He stressed the need for close collaboration in ensuring road safety, noting that the meeting is key to developing a strategy that serves the interest of the sub region.
Also speaking was the Director of SLRSA Ibrahim Sannoh. He said he was especially elated to be among road safety experts in West Africa. He described Sierra Leone as having transitioned from a roads authority to a road safety authority. He emphasized the importance of road safety by referencing the global statistics of more than one million people that die of road accidents. He therefore urged the region to maximize road safety in the developmental strides. He said ECOWAS had since prioritized transportation and security since 1975 but there has been challenges but that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. He said WARSO must reflect on the importance of road safety and what it means for the development aspirations. He also cited good examples from other countries Ghana and Nigeria where there exist presidential road safety taskforces. He said in the case of Nigeria it is placed under the office of the President and this is why that country is leading in road safety as in the case in Ghana. He recalled the regional meetings that they have been holding in Nigeria to validate policies. He described these developments as positive.
Inspector General of Police Dr. Ambrose Michael Sovula expressed appreciation and thanks to WARSO for the initiative. He recalled when he was head at the traffic division the statistics that emerged in one year showed that the incident was more harmful than HIV. He said based on his experience there are three factors, human, mechanical and infrastructures responsible for road accidents. He said these were strategies that the devised for the Sierra Leone Police and the Roads Authority. He argued that when you use these measurements, you can predict and prevents road accidents. He explained the relationship between the Police and the Road Safety Corps as that of father and child relationship that has to be nurtured in trainings. He pledged his continued support to the sector, adding that it is a revenue generation window that he has responsibility to guard as well doing same for the human lives and property that are conveyed on the road. He ended by saying that he is proud to be a member of WARSO.
This conference will run for five days and is based on the theme.