Goodwill Ambassador for Road Safety conferred on Ya Naa
The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), has conferred on Ya Naa, Abukari Mahama II, the Overlord of Dagbon, the “Goodwill Ambassador” for National Road Safety.
The honour, which was done by officials of the NRSA at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi, in the Northern Region, was in recognition of the Ya Naa’s selflessness in offering counsel to road users and commitment to improving road safety in the country.
The NRSA described the Ya Naa as an eminent king, who has stabilized the peace in Dagbon and consistently reached out to the citizens with messages on road safety everywhere he travelled throughout the country.
Rev. Ismaila Hamilston Awudu, the Board Chairman of the NRSA, said a road safety ambassador is prudent in the quest to reduce accidents, because road safety has been an attitudinal challenge, irrespective of calls for responsible behaviour and respect for highway codes.
He expressed worry about the alarming rate of road accidents in the country and said about 6,844 road traffic crashes were reported for the first half of the year in June, which led to 1,252 deaths and 7,043 injuries.
“The idea behind the conferment of a Road Safety Goodwill Ambassador on our noble Ya Naa Abukari is that, it is important to employ the voices and faces of nobility in influencing thoughts and attitudes, which will promote safer road use, leading to economic growth,” he said.
Mrs May Obiri Yeboah, the Executive Director of the NRSA said her outfit is working closely with other stakeholders, including the Police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to train about 13,000 drivers on accident prone roads.
This, she indicated would aid the ambassador’s efforts and curb vehicle crashes on highways, especially with the enforcement of laws from the police and other road safety institutions.
The Ya-Naa pledged his commitment to campaign in promoting road safety in its totality, to reduce road accidents in the Northern Region and Ghana as a whole.
The NRSA is one of the agencies at the Road Transport Ministry, and has established and built strategic partnerships with the Ya-Naa to confer on him the Road Safety “Goodwill Ambassador” to encourage the King in his advocacy for safe road usage and other related issues.
Source: GNA