NRSC rolls out campaign for safety during elections

The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) is rolling out a programme to reduce the casualties that come with election campaigns.

The project, which starts at the regional level next month, will have NRSC officials engage the parties on how to run their campaigns safe and devoid of road accidents.

“We would want them to commit themselves to the fact that if they protect their supporters, they’ll get votes but if they don’t, they’ll lose them and that goes to affect the final election result because every vote counts,” the Commission’s Director of Planning at the NRSC, Mr David Adonteng, told the Daily Graphic.

Political party road safety officer

The Commission plans to play an active role in ensuring that the carnage on the country’s roads is reduced first by ensuring that each political party appoints a road safety officer for its campaign team. 

As part of the road safety campaign, commercials will be run in the electronic media and outreach programmes organised to draw the voting public’s attention to the need to be safety-minded before, during and after the election. 

The road-safety officer would be in charge of road safety advocacy and educate party supporters on the dangers.

The Commission has also developed a code of ethics on campaigning and road safety for the parties to use as a guide.

“On every platform, as they deliver their campaign messages, we also encourage them to add road safety to the messages,” Mr Adonteng said.

Causes   

According to the Commission’s statistics, road accidents are higher in election years, when political party leaders criss-cross the country to canvass for votes.  

During this period, party supporters ignore traffic regulations, especially those who ride motorbikes.

Party supporters sit dangerously in the bucket of pickups and heavy goods vehicles while drivers speed beyond the acceptable limit with other involved in drink-driving, which in now high.

NRSC and political campaigns 

Mr Adonteng said the election year safety campaign, which started in 2008 and continued in the last election, would be prosecuted this year too. 

“We are circulating the code of ethics and following it up with engagement with the political leadership. Our regional officers are already on the ground engaging them at the regional level right down to the constituency level.”

“We are hopeful that they will buy into the idea to help us protect human life. From June, our regions are rolling out  and we are up scaling it at the national level in July,” he said. 

Mr Adonteng said the NRSC would be part of the campaign process of the political parties, adding, “Wherever they mount platforms, we will be there and contribute our bit on road safety.

“In the long run, it is the electorate that must take responsibility for their safety. But it is a responsibility that all of us have to share.

Oil giants, Kosmos Energy Ghana, has initiated a social investment programme to encourage the youth to go into agriculture.

Aimed at creating more jobs in the agriculture sector, the Kosmos Innovation Centre (KIC) is also expected to create an ecosystem that brings together researchers, entrepreneurs and participants in the agriculture value chain.
The Country Manager of Kosmos Energy Ghana, Mr Joe Ansah, said the initiative would help the country reduce its import bill on agriculture produce and increase exports.
He announced the work of the centre when the management of the Millennium Excellence Foundation (MEF) led by its President, Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, paid a courtesy call on the management of Kosmos Energy Ghana to strengthen ties between the two companies.
The KIC
The KIC was created by Kosmos to help Ghana build a brighter future by tackling some of the country’s key challenges. The KIC begins its work by choosing an area of focus from one of Ghana’s many different sectors.
In its first year, the KIC is turning its attention to agriculture – the largest sector in Ghana’s economy – where it will pursue and nurture the development of market-based solutions that address various development challenges.
Mr Ansah acknowledged that issues including inadequate financing, inadequate knowledge on international best practices in farming affected the locally cultivated export produce.
He said the centre would help address issues that crippled the agriculture sector, help increase yield and produce products that met international standard.
While commending the foundation’s initiatives, he stated that it was necessary to always leave a legacy that would contribute to the country’s development.
Agro processing
Ambassador Gbeho said the foundation had an agro processing and compliance forum initiative which began two years ago with its maiden forum held in London in 2014 and in Ghana, last year.
The forum focused on improving on the practices of the agricultural processing sector in Ghana.
He said information gathered from the forums would be channelled to the Kosmos Innovation Centre’s website for interested parties to access.
He said the data would in the long term not just have a good turn around for the agriculture sector in Ghana but also have a positive impact in sustaining the country’s economy.
Ambassador Gbeho urged Kosmos Energy to, as part of its corporate social responsibility, consider supporting some selfless individuals and organisations who had dedicated their life to selfless contribution to humanitarian acts.
Following the discussions, Kosmos Energy Ghana and Millennium Excellence Foundation have agreed to collaborate on agro-related initiatives that would help farmers make informed decisions on quality agriculture production.

- See more at: http://www.graphic.com.gh/business/business-news/63985-kosmos-energy-lures-youth-into-agric.html#sthash.w48WKRGn.dpuf