Road safety stakeholders meet at Ongwediva for annual engagement

The 9^th Annual Road Safety Conference has drawn close to a hundred individuals from various institutions that are tasked with the responsibility of creating a conducive environment for safer roads in Namibia.

The meeting, taking place from 10 to 12 July at Ongwediva, is discussing issues and topics around the goal of “Improving Road Safety Performance Management”.

Oshana Governor Mr Elia Irimari who welcomed the delegates country said that road safety is a shared responsibility “in the sense that we all navigate the road network during our daily lives.”

Irimari stated that the picture of road safety in Oshana “is also not good enough and needs much effort from our national and regional leadership in the sub-sector and the transport sector at large.”

Irimari stated that Oshana had “one of the highest number of crashes in 2023. The regional distribution of motor vehicle crashes in the Oshana Region for 2023 was comparable to that of 2022.

“Oshana Region documented 288 crashes, which is one fewer than in 2022. In 2023, these collisions caused 501 injuries and 27 deaths. These 27 deaths account for around 6% of the total fatalities and approximately 9% of the total number of crashes.”

These statistics put Oshana in 5^th position as one of the highest contributors to the number of deaths in Namibia.

“In order to reverse this trend, we need to hold hands in terms of collaborating with all stakeholders in the sub-sector.”

National Road Safety Council chairman Mr Eliphas !Owos-Oab told the conference that despite being a critical issue for sustainable development, “road safety receives little attention or investment.”

“The National Road Safety Council recognized the necessity to support the implementation of the second Namibian Chapter of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 in order to timely address road safety issues,” !Owos-Oab said.

Represented at the conference are national institutions such as the Ministry of Works and Transport, Road Fund Administration, MVA Fund, the Namibian Police, and its Traffic Department, Automobile Association of Namibia, Namibia University of Science and Technology, the National Road Safety Council, etc.

In the photo: Mr Eliphas !Owos-Oab making a presentation at the conference.