Curbing Road Accidents Nationwide: Hon. Malomba-led Network On Road Safety Rallies MPs, Stakeholders For Urgent Solutions

Honourable Donald Malomba Esembe, President of Parliamentary Network on Road Safety Addressing peers and cabinet ministers at special plenary 

The Parliamentary Network on Road Safety (LEGIS-SECUROUTE) has in line with its plan of action gone on an offensive to seek urgent solutions to problems causing repeated road accidents across the country’s major highways. 

The Honourable Donald Malomba Esembe-led network in a special plenary sitting at the National Assembly which brought together members of government including the Ministers of Transport, Public Works, Public Health, Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals and the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence in charge of the National Gendarmerie, all brainstormed on ways to render roads safe for mobility. 

Speaking while addressing lawmakers during the session which was chaired by the Senior Vice President, Hon Hilarion Etong, the Buea Urban MP called on all stakeholders to federate forces and take urgent actions and measures that will reduce accidents.  

Honourable Malomba's strides saluted by Senior Deputy Speaker 

Hon Malomba decried the worrisome situation of road accidents which he said are the first cause of mortality of young Cameroonian school going age: less than 25 years old as per statistics from the Ministry of Transport. 

The lawmaker said if urgent and decisive actions are not taken, then road accidents will be the major cause of death of Cameroonians aged less than 35 by 2030 as close to 2000 persons are killed per year roads. 

“It is therefore evident that road accidents with their enormous negative financial, economic, health and social consequences portend a serious obstacle to the 2035 emergence vision of our country as defined by the Head of State, His Excellency President Paul BIYA.  It is for this reason that action is urgent, concerted action is needed now,” he said.

Malomba underscored the need for collective action to stop road while pledging that the network he leads will continue to play its role of accompanying the government in the achievement of its goal, under the SDG and the new UN Decade for action on Road Safety (2021-2030) to significantly reduce road accidents. 

He appreciated the collaboration between them and the National Road Board (CONAROUTE) for his availability and facilitation of the working relationship, as well as bilateral and other international development partners and civil society organizations in the domain of road safety and CRTV, in her drive to accompany government in sensitizing the masses on road safety. 

The Parliamentary Network On Road Safety has in the recent months organized series of activities across the country to educate and sensitize road users to the dangers of over speeding, drunk driving, and soon. The Dschang and Ndikinimiki accident sites of December last year and January this year moved the network president to these scenes to frown at wrong usage of the high-way. 

To the network president, such field visits won’t have been achievable without collaboration members of government involved in the domain of road safety, the Prime Minister and Head of Government who also chairs the National Road Board (CONAROUTE) for his availability and facilitation of the working relationship between the Network and CONAROUTE. 

In a detailed presentation on the situation of accidents, government policy on prevention and road safety, including measures taken or envisaged to confront the problem of road accidents in Cameroon, the minister of Transport, Ngalle Bibehe, said the number of road accidents has dropped constantly in Cameroon between 2011 and 2019. 

He said from 3525 accidents resulting in 1588 deaths, the number dropped to 1533 accidents resulting in 627 deaths in 2019. He attributed these good results to Cameroon’s alignment of its actions to those of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020). 

These achievements, he said, resulted in Cameroon, together with Uganda benefit-ting from the programme Road Safety Performance review in the UN System for road safety.

Opening the seminar, Hon. Hilarion Etong, hailed the initiative of LEGIS-SECUROUTE in organising the workshop at a time when road insecurity is taking frightening proportions. 

He cited some fatal accidents that have hit Cameroon in recent times, including that on the Falaise Dschang of 27 January 2021 that led to 55 deaths and 18 injured.

Participants at plenary on road safety. He castigated the blame game from MPs on stakeholders and emphatically enjoined all stakeholders to effectively play their respective roles to curb accidents. 

 

By Doh Bertrand Nua