Black Stars Endorse UN Decade Of Action For Road Safety

The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) working in collaboration with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Commission for Global Road Safety (CGRS) is excited to announce that the Senior National team of Ghana, the Black Stars have endorsed the United Nations Decade of Action (DoA) for Road Safety.

The UN Decade of Action for Road Safety is the result of a UN Resolution 64/255 passed 2010 and endorsed by 100 governments including Government of Ghana in the UN General Assembly. The DoA aims at stabilizing and reducing global road deaths by 2020.

The endorsement takes the form of wearing the United Nations’ new road safety Decade of Action yellow ‘Tag’, the official symbol for the DoA intended to unify global support for road safety.

Ghana’s players will launch the endorsement of the Tag during the match with England on 29 March at Wembley to give its backing to national and global effort to improve road safety and reduce the deaths on our roads which is projected to kill more children aged 5-14 than Malaria and HIV/AIDS by the year 2015

The UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 is due to be launched formally on May 11, 2011 globally by the Secretary- General of the UN and all Heads of Governments in their respective countries.

In Ghana each year, an average of 1800 persons are killed in road crashes leading to several injuries. The most hit are men who account for about 70% of crash victims many of whom are within the productive age bracket of 18-55.

Kwasi Nyantakyi, President of Ghana Football Association, says “everybody is vulnerable and I think that we will be able to help translate the passion associated with football to positive road user attitudes so that supporters will stay alive to cheer their team”.

Noble John Appiah says that, road safety is multi-disciplinary in nature; it is a shared and collective responsibility. With commitment and team work we can collectively raise the profile of road safety in Ghana for our good.

Alhaji Collins Dauda Minister of Transport says “the Black Stars have always served as a rallying tool. I have no doubt that, with this endorsement they will again inspire us to disengage with the negative road user behaviours in this country”.

The Black Stars with this endorsement join the likes of former US President Bill Clinton, Nobel Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Burmese human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi, musician and campaigner Sir Bob Geldof, and actress Michelle Yeoh, and other teams like Barcelona FC & Arsenal FC to lend support for this national and global effort

The NRSC will wish to express its best wishes for the Black Stars as it plays England on Tuesday in a historic international friendly. We wish them well and expect that soccer fans will remain disciplined in their reaction to the outcome on our roads.

Thank you (Sgd)

Kwame Koduah Atuahene Head, Communications