The First African Road Safety Forum is underway in Marrakech, Morocco on 13th-15th of November, 2018.
Under the theme: ‘Road Safety in Africa: Sustainable Development Issue’, the forum brings together more than 300 participants including Government Institutions and Organizations, Experts, Economic Sectors, NGO’s from the African Continent working for road safety share experiences and good practices on road safety in the African Countries.
The Minister of Works, Construction and Infrastructure of The Gambia, Hon. Lamin Ousainou Jobe graced the occasion at the First African Road Safety Forum.
Hon. Jobe told The Voice that: “The First African Road Safety Forum came timely and The Gambia are thrilled to join host and other present countries to discuss Strategic and Institutional Management of road safety in Africa”,
He further highlighted that, his government is keenly challenged to curb this burden road accidents in The Gambia by providing smooth mobility for her beloved citizens.
For his part, Dawda Bah Executive Director of Save Life Gambia (SLG) and member of PAN African NGO’s for Road Safety said: “This platform came at a time when we are in needs of it most and, it is an avenue where we can raise high, connect and inspire”, said by Dawda Bah, the (SLG) boss at the official opening ceremony of the First African Road Safety Forum in Marrakech, Morocco.
Mr Bah emphasized more on the Decades of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda.
Objectives of the forum:
This is to create an African framework for reflection on road safety in Africa that will promote ownership of road safety in Africa to achieve the goals of 2011-2020 Decades of Action.
Also is to bring Government Institutions and Organizations, Experts, Economic Sectors, NGO’s from the African Countries working for road safety to share experiences and good practices on road safety in the African continent.
The forum also will promote cooperation between African countries in the field of road safety; develop exchanges and relations between African economic operators in the field of road safety, economic investment in the various sectors related to road safety.
However, the forum encourages investment in the various sectors related to road safety; to promote the integration of new technologies into the maintenance and management of road safety in Africa.
Pooling and capitalizing on NGO’s experiences to serve as a relay for anchoring values in societies in Africa, by studying the mechanisms for setting up and implementing an African road safety observatory is also among the objectives of the Marrakech Road Safety Forum.
Author: Dawda Bah in Marrakech
