The Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah, has lauded Bloomberg Philanthropies for Global Road Safety for extending the six-year road safety project to the city of Kumasi.

Mr Sowah made the commendation when he addressed a virtual meeting in Accra to kick-start support to the country by Bloomberg Philanthropies towards the prevention of road traffic crashes in the country.

Ghana was selected in February this year as one of 15 countries to benefit from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 240-million dollar commitment to help prevent road traffic deaths over a six-year period, from 2020 to 2025.

Accra and Kumasi have been chosen to be part of 30 cities around the world to benefit from the project.

The virtual meeting was participated by the Minister of Transport, Kweku Ofori Asiamah, the Executive Director of the National Road Safety Authority, Madam May Obiri Yeboah, Metro Coordinating Director of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and other representatives of road safety stakeholder organisations.

Mr Sowah said: “Five years ago, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly was privileged to be part of the first five-year phase of this life-saving project and has chalked many successes on the ticket of this initiative. We are highly delighted to collaborate with Bloomberg Philanthropies once again in the new six-year phase of this important mission of reducing crashes and saving lives.”

The Chief Executive said statistics had shown that road crashes and its related deaths and injuries were on the rise in the country and that the respective assemblies needed to work to the best of their abilities on the partnership to ensure the reduction of road traffic injuries and deaths across the entire nation.

Mr Asiamah said: “The great success I have personally witnessed within the first phase of this project within the city of Accra lends credence to the fact that Ghana stands to benefit highly from this project.

“My Ministry and I pledge our unflinching support to Bloomberg Philanthropies on this life saving six-year journey.”

The Bloomberg Philanthropies, based on the success of 12 years of investment in road safety, announced in February, during the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Stockholm, Sweden, a doubling of its support for global road safety, securing another 240 million US dollars between 2020 and 2025 to save 600,000 lives and prevent up to 22 million injuries in low- and middle-income participating counties around the world, such as Ghana.

The six-year reinvestment in Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety is expected to double the impact of these life saving measures.

Since 2007, the initiative has saved nearly 312,000 lives and prevented up to 11.5 million injuries.