Yango and Guinness launch a nationwide “Don’t Drink and Drive” campaign with special focus on road safety in Ghana

An international ride-hailing service Yango, a part of the global tech company Yango Group, has partnered with Guinness Ghana PLC to launch a new safety initiative aimed at preventing drunk driving accidents, promoting safe mobility, and ensuring both drivers and passengers are safe at all times.

A continuous ‘’Don’t Drink and Drive Campaign’’ will include promotional events and activities to encourage responsible drinking habits by passengers and discourage drunk driving by partner drivers.

This includes app notifications, regular training, out-of-home marketing campaigns, and many advertisements. 

The safety forum, which is a first step in the campaign, took place on Wednesday, 26 June 2024 at the Alisa Hotel in Accra and covered topics such as recognising signs of impairment, strategies for preventing drunk driving, and how to use alternative transportation options such as ride-hailing services like Yango.

The training was provided by certified instructors and was available to all Yango partner drivers and passengers free of charge. This was attended by over 150 participants, which included Yango’s partners, partner drivers, passengers, and authorities from many safety organisations across the country.

As part of the ‘’Don’t Drink and Drive Campaign’’, Yango and Guinness organised a safety training to raise awareness about the dangers of driving under the influence as well as highlight the many safety features Yango has provided for both partner drivers and passengers.

The ‘’Don’t Drink and Drive Campaign’’ will also include promotional events and activities to encourage responsible drinking habits by passengers and discourage drunk driving by partner drivers.

This includes in app notifications, regular training, out-of-home marketing campaigns and many advertisements. Yango and Guinness are working together to create a safe and welcoming environment for all members of the community

“We are committed to promoting responsible road practices and ensuring the safety of passengers and partner drivers. By partnering with Guinness Ghana PLC , we hope to raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving and provide the community with the knowledge and tools they need to make safe and responsible choices.”

“We are excited to contribute our quota in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of everyone in the country. Safety is a fundamental need and plays a key role in our vision to create income generating opportunities for partner drivers while providing affordable and convenient transportation for passengers,” said Ofonime Tom, country manager of Yango Ghana.

The Safety Forum also featured a panel discussion where experts from the health and safety industry to speak on road ethics, crime, safety techniques and measures to ensure the safety and security of both the partner drivers and passengers. The panel consisted of Eric Komla Kwakuyi, Regional Safety & Security Officer at Yango, Lynessa Darko, Sustainability and Responsibility Manager at Guinness Ghana PLC and Mr. Damoah Emmanuel Nyarkoh, Director of Safety Campaign Ghana.

Lynessa Darko, Sustainability and Responsibility Manager at Guinness Ghana PLC, expressed optimism about the campaign and safety training while encouraging more ride-hailing companies to follow in the footsteps of Yango in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of their key stakeholders. 

She said, ‘’Safeguarding our community is very important to national development. Ensuring that, as brands and companies, we play our roles in providing adequate safety education and awareness to help drivers and passengers stay alert on the roads while knowing the dangers of drunk driving is the first step to achieving a safe and sound environment viable for economic growth’’.

The beneficiary partner drivers received certificates of participation to confirm that they have successfully gone through the safety training and are fully aware of the many safety features provided by Yango for partner drivers, such as the display of passenger ratings, identity photo checks in special cases, the display of alert zones and non-penalty configuration for drivers to be able to skip orders to the alert zones, the display of passenger profile pictures, a rating form to evaluate riders, and in-app calls to support.

The passengers who attended the training also expressed their gratitude to Yango and Guinness for putting together this initiative and pledged to use the knowledge acquired to ensure their safety and the safety of other road users.

Some of the safety features available to passengers include a rating form to evaluate trips, a display of driver ratings, safety center (this houses the share route, ambulance and police, trusted contacts, and emergency situation buttons), SOS button, support team which acts promptly, drivers document checks among others..

This move is in line with Yango’s launch of the ‘’Safety Talk Series’’ last month, which saw the company visit and educate students, faculty members, and the general public at the University of Ghana during their SRC week celebrations. Yango and Guinness are working together to create a safe and welcoming environment for all members of the community.

About Yango: 

Yango is an international tech company that transforms global sourced technologies into everyday services tailored for local communities. With an unwavering commitment to innovation, we reshape and enhance leading cutting-edge technologies from around the world into seamlessly integrated daily services for diverse regions. 

Yango’s mission is to bridge the gap between leading world innovations and local communities, fostering connections and enhancing everyday living experiences.     

Yango operates across 20+ countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Yango’s multilingual super app is available for free on Android and iOS.                                                                                                   

About Guinness

Guinness Ghana Breweries Plc is the leading Total Beverage Business in Ghana and a subsidiary of Diageo PLC, the world’s leading premium drinks business, with internationally celebrated brands including Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Baileys.

In Ghana, GGB Plc is the only total beverage business listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and our parent company, Diageo, is listed on both the London and New York Stock Exchanges. Our ambition is to be the best-performing, Most Trusted and Respected Consumer Goods goods business in Ghana.

The company is sustained through innovation. We constantly look to create new experiences, such as Smirnoff Pineapple Punch, Smirnoff Chocolate and Baileys Delight – all being produced in Ghana. As a partner for growth, Guinness seek to have a positive impact in Ghana as both an employer and manufacturer. We are committed to sourcing above 70% local raw materials for brewing the finest beverages. 

Guinness continue to invest in sustainable agriculture and brewing operations in keeping to our mantra of grain-to-glass sustainability in communities where we source, make and sell. The company careful stewards of water, with our Water of Life programme providing over 24,298 people across our local sourcing areas.