Tema, Oct. 1, GNA – Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, Presidential Aspirant of the Ghana Journalists Association has commended the Tema Regional office of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) for their innovative road safety campaign project.
The Tema GNA and Tema Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service Road Crashes Prevention Campaign platform is aimed at providing continuous education to stakeholders on the need to be cautious on the road and adhere to all road safety regulations.
The Road Safety Campaign project seeks to create consistent and systematic weekly awareness advocacy on the need for road users to be cautious to curb the rising road crashes.
Speaking on the topic: “Effects of road safety on journalists and role of media houses to reduce accidents” on sidelines of the sixth Tema Ghana News Agency monthly stakeholder engagement and workers’ appreciation seminar Mr Dwumfour commended the effort.
Mr Dwumfour, who is a media consultant and a businessman as well as Head of Corporate Affairs at the Tobinco Group of Companies appealed to other media houses to emulate the Tema GNA innovative journalism drive by creating time and programmes on their various media platforms to talk about road safety and insurance.
The GJA Presidential Aspirant said: “As journalists we need to strengthen education on insurance and also educate the public, listeners, readers and viewers on effect of road accidents”.
Mr Dwumfour bemoaned the situation of some journalists who take so much risk and appealed to media practitioners to observe safety protocols such as riding with crash helmets and other protective clothes.
According to him, journalists must be disciplined and live by example to enable the public emulate their actions.
He said, “We can only educate people if we ourselves live by example and we must shy away from speeding, driving while using mobile phone, drunk driving as they are some habits that jeopardize our lives.”
He hailed Mr Ekuorba Gyasi of Atinka FM, a Tema based journalist for being an ambassador of road safety as he worked with road safety authority and at a point hosted a show on road safety on GTV.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager of Ghana News Agency said as part of the broader GNA-Tema and MTTD road safety campaign, the GNA-Tema office is linking-up with other strategic stakeholders to use as road safety advocates.
He said Ministers of the Gospel, Traditional Leaders, Politicians including Members of Parliament, Metropolitan Chief Executives, would be given a platform to educate their constituent on the need to adhere to road safety rules.
He said the insurance industry played a strategic role in case of an accident through the payment of claims to victims or their families to reduce the burden and must join the campaign to reduce road accidents.
He said Mr Dave Agbenu, Editor Ghanaian Times and former GJA General Secretary who is also contesting for the GJA Presidential post was also offered the same platform to highlight on impact of road crashes on Journalists.
GNA