Gambia Commemorates Road Traffic Victims Day

By Alagie Babou Jallow

The Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure last weekend commemorated its first ever World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims.

Under the theme: ‘Remember those who died; support those who survived ; act for better post-crash response’, the day-long event took the form of a match past from Africell to Traffic Light, handing over of food items – rice and oil, and two thousand Dalasis to eighty road accident victims.

In his introductory remarks, the Director of Planning at the Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure, Essa Drammeh, affirmed that day is an opportunity to remind government, civil society, private sector development partners and road users, of their responsibility to make the road safer.

The main objective is to raise public awareness on road safety issues, to acknowledge the work of all those involved in aftermath of road accidents and provide a platform for victims of road accidents to share their ordeal with fellow road users”.

Lamin Sanno, a road accident victim, appealed to Government to support them as they battle with their predicaments, and reduce public fees for the disable.

The minister of the Interior Yankuba Sonko, assured that necessary institutional management and regulatory frameworks are being put in place to enable the country tackle our road safety challenges. He mentioned that the Road Safety Strategy (2021- 2030 just validated, will provide strategic direction in addressing our road safety challenges.

Other speaker was Lamin Ceesay, representing the Victim Road Foundation, who noted that the essence of public remembrance is not to remind victims of what happened to them but an act of recognition. “It states to the victims and their families that their humanity is valued, that their loss is our loss and that their suffering is shared”.