Joy Prime’s flagship morning show, Prime Morning, has launched a road safety campaign to help curb the hike in accident cases in Ghana.

The initiative, tagged #LightupGhana, seeks to educate Ghanaians on safety measures on the road and ensure the government fixes streetlights at major highways in the country. 

The campaign was introduced on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, on the Prime Morning show.

Director of Safety Campaign Ghana, Darmoah Emmanuel Nyarkoh, who was a panellist at the launch, opined that citizens are equally reliable to the adequacy of streetlights.

Speaking to the host, Roselyn Felli, Mr. Nyarkoh said the menace cannot be curbed if citizens are adamant on refraining from the behaviour of destroying streetlights provided for the various communities.

“We have a responsibility as citizens in this situation. We need to flag it and probably talk to people that the streetlights were fixed for our benefit to illuminate the road and prevent road accidents and armed robbery during the night, but when the roads are well illuminated, these people might not want to do it in the light. They will always do it at a hideout,” he said.

He promised that his outfit is in full support of the #LightupGhana initiative and therefore will affiliate with the National Road Safety Authority to push the agenda on all platforms.

Mr. Nyarkoh called on relevant authorities, including the Ghana Highways Authority, Ministry of Roads and Transport, and Metropolitan Municipal District Assemblies, to enforce a maintenance plan, ensuring that the streetlights are sustained and culprits are apprehended.

On average, 1,400 Ghanaians lose their lives to road accidents every year. The luckiest people to survive are likely to be spared the agony of long-term injuries.

These inconveniences are mostly the result of either non-functioning traffic lights or the darkness in most parts of the streets due to mal-functioning streetlights.

2024 began on an adverse note, with an increase in road accidents, particularly on major highways.

Between January and March, there have been road crashes involving celebrities like Wendy Shay, with the most recent one involving Kuami Eugene, who sustained injuries on Sunday, March 17, after ramming his car into a tipper truck.

The Prime Morning Show team is therefore committed to reaching out to the government and stakeholders through its platforms to help light up all of Ghana’s streets to reduce the occurrence of road accidents. 

The public is urged to send videos of the non-functioning streetlights within their communities via the WhatsApp number, 055 157 5757, to help push the agenda.