AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine has partnered with the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) the Drivers and Vehicles Licensing Authority (DVLA), the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD), Ghana Private Roads Transport Authority (GPRTU) and other stakeholders to embark on an outdoor sensitization programme for drivers in Obuasi.
The week-long campaign, which is dubbed “Ekwanso Dwoo Dwoo”, begun with sensitization programmes on selected local radio stations and information centres, has finally been extended to drivers on the Obuasi to Kwapia road considered to be an accident hotspot.
In October this year, 13 people lost their lives when a VIP bus they were travelling in from Kumasi to Enchi in the Western North Region reportedly veered off the road and plunged into a ditch near Kwapia.
The rationale behind the ‘Ekwanso Dwoo Dwoo’ road safety campaign as explained by the Community Relations Manager for AngloGold Ashanti- Obuasi Mine was to remind the drivers of the need to observe defensive driving and abide by road safety regulations.
According to statistics from the MTTD, 1,237 lives were lost between January and June 2024 through road accidents. Ashanti Region alone recorded 325 casualties: a 67 percent increment over the 2023 figure within the same period.
In response to the surge in road accidents in the region and in Obuasi, AngloGold Ashanti commenced an intensive free road safety training for 50 commercial and institutional drivers as well as cyclists in Obuasi as part of their Community Safety Programme in their 10- year Socioeconomic Development Plan (SEDP).
Mr. Oduro Agyei mentioned that the outdoor road safety campaign was a follow up to the refresher training offered motorists last year. ”We are here with other stakeholders not to enforce road safety rules but to be practical and admonish drivers on the need to drive safe and alive”.
He cautioned drivers to avoid driving under the influence of alcohol and overloading, reduce speed, wear seat belts, and observe all road safety protocols.
Commendation
The manager of the Obuasi office of the DVLA Edwin Ofori commended AngloGold Ashanti for the programme, describing it as the right approach to deal with the rise in road accidents onObuasi to Kumasi Road.
“We need collaborative efforts to curb high incidence of road accidents. The approach to bring all of us together to drum home the essence of safe driving to the drivers is the right intervention which needs to be sustained”.
Over speeding kills
In all, a total of 1000 drivers and passengers benefited from the campaign on the day. This, as explained by Kwesi Agyenim Boateng, the Ashanti Regional Director of the National Road Safety Authority, was a useful exercise and lauded AngloGold for taking the bold step.
He cited over speeding, especially among high-risk commercial drivers and motorcyclists, as the cause of an increase in road accidents on the Obuasi to Kumasi Road, a situation he said needed a campaign like this, to curb it.
