The construction of the new port and logistics hub in Tema will have huge benefits for the Ghanaian economy and the livelihoods of Ghanaian people when opened in 2019. As part of the port master plan, APM Terminals Inland Services Africa has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Government of Ghana, and the non-profit road safety organization Amend to ensure port access roads and highways that will handle the inland transportation are safe and able to handle increased traffic flow.
APM Terminals Head of Africa Inland Services Peter Jakobsen, based in Ghana, attended the signing ceremony and said, “We wanted to start this road safety initiative proactively with our customers and our partners before our new port opens in 2019 to prepare the country for future growth in cargo volumes and new inland distribution patterns. We have a lot of expertise and best practices in this area from our work with other customers and countries so our partnership with Amend – an Africa road safety specialist- promises to deliver the critical results necessary to protect people’s lives and ensure Ghana’s supply chains succeed.”
The relationship between APM Terminals and Amend started earlier this year during an APM Terminals’ Magnum leadership training program in Ghana. The participants worked with Amend to map out the social and business ideas necessary to develop new ways of improving corporate social responsibility through road safety initiatives and community engagement. Out of this collaboration partnership, a joint project was created.
According to Amend, over 1.2 million worldwide die every year from road traffic injuries and millions more are injured. Africa has the world’s highest road traffic injury rates, and road traffic injury is the leading cause of death for children over five years-old. Amend develops, implements and evaluates evidence-based programs to reduce the incidence of road traffic injury in Africa, using population-based scientific studies, community-based road safety programs, advocacy, lighting infrastructure, media campaigns and school programs such as high visibility, reflective school bags.
The MoU signing ceremony was witnessed by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark who was on an official three-day state visit to Ghana on 23-25 November, 2017 – and the Ghana Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
Source: APM Terminals