Mrs Dzifa Attivor, Deputy Minister of Transport
has underscored the need for innovative road safety strategies to minimize
the unfortunate carnage on the roads.
She pointed out that road safety was both a public health and
developmental challenge that required a total commitment from stakeholders
for attitudinal change of operators and the enforcement of the laws.
This, she said, would allow the transport sector to play its basic role
in the socio-economic transformation of the nation.
Mrs Attivor was opening a two-million-dollar showroom constructed by
RANA Motors in Tema, as part of measures to ensure excellence and offer
better service to its valued clients.
The Showroom, christened VULCO, a one-stop shop concept, would give
customers a wide range of tyre brands, vehicle accessories and services for
batteries, brakes and lubricants among other things to suit their choice and
needs.
Mrs Attivor said it was regrettable that, projections from the National
Road Safety Commission (NRSC), indicated that road accidents would take a
third place on the list of causes of death by the year 2020, if nothing
substantive and immediate was done about the present situation.
She said the urgency to curb the menace, had resulted in the on-going
concerted efforts on the part of government, the private sector and the
general public to come out with strategies to curtail it.
Mrs Attivor pledged the Ministry's determination to encourage and
motivate the private sector not only to ensure an efficient, cost-effective,
reliable and safe transportation system, but also to fully support
government's socio-economic drive to make life more comfortable, safe and
enjoyable for the greater majority of Ghanaians.
She said over the years, safety on our roads had been compromised,
largely by poor vehicle maintenance, lack of adequate and genuine spare
parts, as well as human-induced errors, such as drunk driving, poor
visibility, recklessness and general indiscipline.
As a result, she said, road accidents which used to be sixth on the
list of 10 major causes of death in the country, had now assumed a position
of prominence on the nation's all-kill-factor list.
Mrs Attivor pledged that as the lead agencies, the NRSC and the Driver
and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) would be strengthened, to enable them
to deliver on their mandate, by promoting road safety campaigns and safety
standards in the country.
She commended RANA Motors for its positive contribution towards the
development of the nation's road transport industry, and appealed to auto
distribution and related companies to set up vehicle assembling plants to
provide more employment for the teeming youth.
She charged technicians and artisans to venture into vehicle
manufacturing as the nation moved gradually to achieve its desire to be
counted among the top economies of the developing world by the year 2020.
Mr Essam Odaymat, Chief Executive Officer of RANA Motors Group, traced
the historical background of the VULCO Concept to France, and said after
taking off in that country, the concept had since extended to Spain,
Portugal, Belgium, Croatia, Slovenia and Morocco.
He said it had become a preferred shopping stop for most motorists in
those countries.
Mr Odaymat assured customers that the Tema VULCO Showroom, the first to
be opened in West Africa, would be manned by friendly product and service
advisors who would identify customer needs and offer suitable
recommendations best suited for their vehicles.