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Pedestrian knockdown on the increase in W/R
Pedestrian knockdowns continue to attract the attention of road safety managers as number of persons injured rose from 100 in 2020 to 135 in 2021 in the Western Region, National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) reports from January to September this year revealed.
Pedestrians killed, however, reduced from 42 to 32, a 23.8 percent decrease. But, the total number of reported cases on pedestrian knockdowns rose from 130 to 167, during the period.
The Western Regional Manager of NRSA, Nana Akua Ansaah,told The Spectator recently.
She explained that walkways were for use by pedestrians and but observed that in most communities in the region, they had become car parks.
This , Nana Ansaah added, was a headache creating injuries and deaths among pedestrians on theroads.
Again, she told The Spectator that slabs removed during clean-ups were not restored and remained uncovered for days, forcing pedestrians to enter the road to compete with vehicles for space.
Nana Ansaah stressed : “Humans are vulnerable and our bones cannot be compared with metals on vehicles and any collision, pedestrians die; it’s a worry. We plead with road contractors and our engineers, to create pedestrian lay- bys to forestall the injuries and deaths.
“We need to prevent people from dying when using the road.The pedestrian walkways also promote healthy lifestyles as people used them for exercises.”
She again indicated that males killed during the period below age 18 reduced from 10 to four while males above 18 killed rose from 61 to 71, an increase of +16.4 percent while females above 18, who died, also rose from four to nine.
Nana Ansaah told the Spectator that persons killed in the commercial vehicle category rose from 23 to 36 while those injured reduced from 287 to 188, with taxis topping with an increase from 137 to 158.
Trycycles cases also rose from 99 to 142 during the period,saying “it’s a worry, we are losing national human resources, people in productive age bracket are dying.”
The road safety manager advocated that parents and the society should encourage females to join the road transport business just as some haulage companies had started because, statistics showed that, females had the patience and discipline to maintain high safety standards.
Nana Ansaah said: “The men claim they have the experience but if you have the experience and people continue to die on our roads, then it means you need to improve upon your driving skills. We have to make our roads safe for all users.”
From Clement Adzei Boye, Takoradi
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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