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AMA, NRSA, BIGRS mark World Day of Remembrance for road crash victims
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly, in collaboration with the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), has commemorated the World Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims.
This year’s event, held under the theme “Lost Talents,” sought to, among other things, honour those who have died on the roads, support bereaved families, and renew calls for stronger action to save lives.
The theme highlights that when people are killed or severely injured in road crashes, society loses not only their presence but also their ideas, potential, and future contributions.
Representing the Director-General of the NRSA, Martin Afram said the day offers Ghana an important opportunity to reflect on the human cost of road crashes.
He revealed that road fatalities had increased by 20 percent between January and September 2025 compared to the same period last year. As of September, Ghana had recorded 2,180 deaths and over 12,000 serious injuries.
Mr. Afram stressed that Ghana continues to lose about eight lives every day to road crashes, describing the numbers as real people, family members, colleagues, and friends whose memories must inspire urgent action.
He added that road crashes remain one of the world’s major health challenges, contributing to about 1.3 million deaths and up to 50 million injuries annually, with Africa bearing the highest fatality rate.
He noted that Ghana loses about 1.6 percent of its GDP to road crashes each year and explained that men make up roughly 75 percent of these deaths, leaving many families without breadwinners.
He emphasised that road crashes are preventable because the causes, including speeding, drunk driving, unsafe vehicles, non-use of seatbelts, weak enforcement, and poor road conditions are well known.
Mr. Afram underscored the need for effective post-crash care, including strong ambulance services, trained emergency responders, and ready hospitals.
He added that victims and families also require psychological and legal support, which he described as a basic human right.
He urged religious leaders to continue promoting responsible road behaviour, encouraged drivers to obey speed limits and avoid fatigue, alcohol and distractions, and advised pedestrians to use footbridges and reflective clothing at night.
He also reminded motorcyclists to always wear helmets and obey traffic signals.
The national Chairman of the Alcohol Policy Alliance–Ghana (GhanAPA), Benjamin Anabila, said his organisation has been working since 2018 to reduce alcohol-related harm through policy development and advocacy.
He said GhanAPA has engaged key institutions, including the Ministry of Health, FDA, GHS, the Mental Health Authority, the NRSA and WHO, on the implementation of Ghana’s National Alcohol Policy.
Mr. Anabila added that GhanAPA supported the drafting of the National Alcohol Control Regulations and continues to advocate for their passage.
He said the World Day of Remembrance is not only a moment to mourn but also a call to act, noting that 1,937 people were killed and 10,957 injured in 9,626 crashes in the first eight months of 2025.
He explained that alcohol accounts for an estimated 27 percent of global road traffic injuries and stressed that alcohol-impaired driving remains a major preventable cause of crashes in Ghana.
He called for Ghana’s blood alcohol concentration limit to be reduced from 0.08 to 0.02 and urged Parliament to speed up the passage of the Draft Alcohol Control Regulations.
Mr. Anabila emphasised that every life and every journey matter, and preventable deaths must strengthen Ghana’s resolve to act.
By: Jacob Aggrey
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
