The main objective of the workshop was to improve the reporting skills of the media personnel and widen their knowledge on road traffic related issues in the country.
Ebrima Sisawo, the permanent secretary, Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure, in his opening remarks, said that the number of road traffic accidents has increased recently in The Gambia as a result of growth in population and car usage, thus, a concern to the government.
“Records have shown that over the past few years, several road traffic crashes (accidents) were reported along the highways in the country, particularly in the Greater Banjul Area. According to the Police Accident Report 2021, annually, there were over 700 cases of road traffic crashes and about 123 of which were fatal,” he said.
In this regard, he said the Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure, in line with the National Transport Policy 2018-2027, has developed a National Road Safety Strategy 2020-2030 whose ultimate goal is to reduce the burden of road traffic crashes in The Gambia.
Permanent Secretary Sisawo therefore called on the journalists to continuously write about road safety articles in their different media outlets for the benefit of the general public.
“The sole aim of road safety is to protect people, but unless the people themselves are aware of it, nothing can be done,'' he added.
Essa Drammeh, Director of Transport, Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure, used the opportunity to call on all and sundry to ensure that road traffic accidents / crashes are minimised to the lowest level in the country.
“Your role in sensitising the public on the importance of road safety is crucial. Together we can achieve a lot,” he told the participants.
Similar remarks were made by Lamin King Kolley, Commissioner, Mobile Traffic and Momodou Kassama of the World Health Organization (WHO), Banjul office.
