“We welcome input to help fine-tune roads bill,” says NRSA boss

Ghana News Agency (Techiman, Bono East Region) – May Obiri-Yeboah, the director general of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), has invited transport industry stakeholders to interrogate and make input into the Authority’s draft legislative instrument for presentation to Parliament.

She said as the Authority finalises consultation and discussions on the bill, views and suggestions are welcome from stakeholders to fine-tune and to facilitate its passage by Parliament by August this year.

Speaking with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the Bono East regional consultative meeting to sensitise stakeholders on the bill in Techiman, Obiri-Yeboah emphasised that the legislative instrument (LI) was needed urgently to ensure realistic enforcement of the NRSA Act 2019 (Act 993) to curb avoidable and unnecessary road accidents in Ghana.

Consultative meeting

The NRSA has started a nationwide consultative meeting on the draft LI that will regulate road transport operations in the country. When passed, the LI will enable the NRSA to promote sanity of the road transport infrastructure and reduce road crashes.

It will also advance realistic enforcement of the provisions and standards set out in Act 993, which established the Authority.

The meeting was attended by leaders of transport unions, representatives of traditional authorities, officers of road sector agencies and security services, vulcanisers, drivers and operators of garages.

Obiri-Yeboah said the NRSA has made available copies of the draft bill to all major stakeholders in the transport and road sectors and therefore expects them to examine and make input into it.

Describing the number of crashes on the country’s roads and highways as unacceptable, the DG said after the passage of the bill into law, the Authority will enforce its provisions to the letter. To achieve this will require effort by all stakeholders, she said.

Obiri-Yeboah said it is unfortunate that road accidents kill more than 2,000 people in the country every year, and expressed the hope that with the coming into being of the LI to strengthen enforcement of the NRSA’s Act, accidents on the road would be brought to the barest minimum.

Road safety education

Kofi Amoakohene, the Bono East Regional Minister, commended the NRSA for intensifying its programme of education on road safety. He said the bill will greatly empower the Authority to enforce complaints and bring sanity on Ghana’s roads.

He advised transport operators and road users in general to support the Authority to fine-tune the bill, and help address challenges contributing to road crashes in the country.

Amoakohene, who is the MP for Atebubu-Amantin, promised to take a leading role to facilitate the passage of the bill when brought to Parliament.

Kwame Koduah Atuahene, the head of the Regulations, Inspections and Complaints Department of the NRSA, who gave highlights of the draft bill said when passed, the Authority would train and certify vulcanisers, mechanics and transport operators for them to operate at certain standards.

Earlier in a welcoming address, Kwasi Agyenim Boateng, regional manager of the NRSA for the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions, said similar meetings had already been held in Ahafo and Bono. He said the Authority was highly impressed by the level of participation.

Dennis Peprah

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