Transaid’s Programme Support Manager, Sam Clark, joined a line-up of renowned road safety experts to speak at the International Road Federation’s two-day Regional Road Safety Conference in Tanzania. The invitation highlighted Transaid’s expertise in professional driver training and the implementation of transport management systems in the developing world.
The March conference, on the topic of ‘Fast tracking road safety initiatives in Africa: an inescapable necessity’, saw Clark set out Transaid’s approach of partnering with local driver training institutions to build training capacity, whilst pushing for the adoption of improved standards both nationally and regionally.
To date Transaid has co-ordinated more than 70 ‘train the trainer’ inputs thanks to extensive support from UK member companies, with local trainers passing on these essential skills to more than 15,000 HGV, PSV and forklift drivers across projects in Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi. Transaid has also developed a regional curriculum which is in the process of being adopted by the East African Community member states, and will boost driving standards and improve safety across the region.
“No driver should have to go to work fearing they might not come home because of a lack of training, dangerous vehicles or road conditions. It’s only through collaboration in forums like this, and having open conversations about what works and how to use limited resources, that we can empower people to transform their own lives,” Clark told delegates.
Despite owning only 54 per cent of the world’s registered vehicles, Africa’s disproportionately high road fatality rates account for 90 per cent of all road traffic deaths* – a statistic Transaid is working to reduce.
Also key to his presentation was the importance of implementing transport management systems, citing how transport is critical for health service delivery and embedding a culture of safe and efficient transport use within public and private sectors. Clark shared examples of how Transaid has worked with organisations to improve health service delivery through building the capacity of local transport managers to oversee Ministry of Health fleets, whilst reducing fleet sizes and driving up asset availability and utilisation.
With more than 25 years’ experience, including 19 as an independent organisation, Transaid understands how indispensable sharing limited resources can be and is therefore committed to its free-to-access online Knowledge Centre, packed full of its training manuals, assessment tools, technical case studies and research papers. All resources can be downloaded for free, helping to ensure the widest possible impact.
*WHO – Global Status Report on Road Safety 2015
For more information and to find out how you can support the organisation visit www.transaid.org.
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Note to Editor:
Transaid transforms lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport. Founded by Save the Children, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and its Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, the international development organisation shares 25 years’ worth of expertise in 23 countries with partners and governments – empowering people to build the skills they need to transform their own lives.
Transaid’s core work includes creating transport management systems for the public sector and assisting with the provision of professional driving qualification development and the training of driver trainers. It also assists with teaching preventive vehicle maintenance management and introducing local, low cost transport solutions including its innovative bicycle ambulance. Transaid also helps promote road safety awareness and shares its specialist knowledge with the humanitarian aid sector.
Transaid enjoys strong backing from the transport and logistics industry and the active involvement of its patron, HRH The Princess Royal.
For further press information:
Florence Bearman at Transaid +44 (0)20 7387 8136
Beth Laws or James Keeler at Garnett Keeler +44 (0)20 8647 4467, or by email to beth.laws@garnettkeeler.com or james.keeler@garnettkeeler.com
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