The Minister of Transport, Hon. Joseph Bukari Nikpe has issued a strong call for enhanced collaboration among government agencies, the private sector, and civil society organizations to address the concerning rise in road traffic fatalities in Ghana and across the African continent.
Addressing attendees at the International Federation of Transport Summit Media Event in Leipzig, Germany. The Minister emphasized the critical role of road transport in economic growth while highlighting the devastating impact of road crashes on socio-economic progress.
"Undoubtedly, the road transport sector will remain the single most important mode of transport, without which our economies cannot thrive," the Minister stated. "However, if not adequately addressed, the by-product of road traffic crashes may derail the socio-economic gains."
Acknowledging the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety, the Minister stressed the need for stakeholders to critically assess their performance in tackling road safety over the years.
Touching on the importance of strategic partnerships, the sector Minister said, “Road safety is a shared and collective responsibility; as such, the importance of strategic partnerships cannot be overstated. Collaborations between government, the private sector, and civil society organizations can be enhanced to strengthen and build on existing and new interventions for collective impact."
He highlighted on the pivotal role of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) in Ghana and acknowledged the challenges the institution faces, particularly in securing adequate funding for its programs and initiatives and expressed optimism that with the right support from funding agencies, the NRSA could significantly amplify its impact. "Ultimately, strategic collaboration with both public and private sector entities will be crucial in fulfilling our mandate, and I passionately believe that this synergy will produce the most meaningful results," the Minister added.
He furthermore emphasized the indispensable role of credible data in effective road safety management. "Effective road safety management
and announced that Ghana is actively enhancing its data collection system through the introduction of a Road Accident Data Management System (RADMS) for real-time data collection.
Hon. Nikpe also advocated for the exchange of knowledge and best practices in data collection among nations for collective improvement in road transport.
The ITF Summit is the world’s largest gathering of transport Ministers and the premier global transport policy event.
Since 2008, ministers from ITF’s 69 member countries, heads of international organisations, parliamentarians, and leaders in industry and academia have met annually during the 2.5-day Summit to discuss the future of transport and mobility through the prism of a strategic topic of global importance.
This year, participants reflected and shared perspectives on how to ensure the continuity of transport systems amidst disruptions such as natural disasters, pandemics, cyber-attacks, and geopolitical crises. Discussions will centre on policies for adapting to, mitigating and recovering from these shocks, with an emphasis on transforming systems into more sustainable and resilient networks.
The Summit participation has grown to over 1200 participants from more than 80 countries, well beyond the 69 member countries of the ITF.
