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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
The family of Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, a distinguished statesman and diplomat, has paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama. They officially informed him of his passing.
The delegation, representing the Gbeho family, noted that it was culturally and diplomatically important to formally notify the President of the loss before making a public announcement of his death.
Ambassador Gbeho was a towering figure in Ghanaian and international politics. He served in many diplomatic missions, including New York. He was Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, a Member of Parliament for the Anlo constituency, and President (formerly Executive Secretary) of the ECOWAS Commission.
He was widely respected for his role in regional integration and his contributions to global diplomacy at the United Nations.
President Mahama expressed his condolences and shared reflections on Ambassador Gbeho’s contributions to the country, West Africa and the world.
Funeral details will be announced later.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revoked all firearm permits in Ghana with immediate effect and announced a new registration process for all gun owners.
The minister made the announcement on Tuesday, June 23, at the information service department saying all individuals who currently hold licences to own firearms or sidearms must undergo a fresh registration process.
“From this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual that you are holding a sidearm or firearm is hereby revoked,” Mr Muntaka said.
He explained that the government had identified gaps in the country’s firearm registration system and needed to introduce stricter measures to improve public safety.
“We are opening the window where everyone will have to come forward again to register or re-register the gun because we’ve changed the procedure,” he stated.
According to him, the government decided not to wait until the end of the year to make the changes because lives could still be saved within the next six months.
The Interior Minister said one of the new requirements would be mandatory mental health screening for applicants seeking firearm licences.
“We’ve seen that people with mental health have already gone through and have the sidearm. Now we are introducing mental health. Before we give you the sidearm, we have to be sure that you have the mental stability to hold the firearms,” he said.
Mr Muntaka also announced that applicants would be required to undergo drug tests before being granted licences.
“We’ve also realised that people who are on drugs are also holding their arms and they are legitimate because it’s been registered. Now you have to go through drug tests to be sure that you are not on drugs before you can hold sidearms,” he added.
The minister said the new measures form part of efforts by the government to tighten firearm control and prevent legally registered weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
He urged all firearm owners to cooperate with the new registration process once details of the exercise are announced.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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