UN offers Zambia USD 450, 000 for road safety

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THE United Nations has given Zambia a grant of USD 450, 000 to accelerate progress in improving road safety.

This announcement took place at a Ministerial Lunch organized by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, at the 3rd Global Conference on Road Safety in Stockholm on 19 February 2020.

Speaking at the same event, Transport and Communications Minister Mutotwe Kafwaya said financing of road safety projects is key in reducing road traffic accidents and fatalities.

He said the ‘Safe Road Zambia’ project will substantially reduce the number of fatalities and injuries from road traffic crashes and reduce economic losses resulting from these crashes.

Kafwaya stated “The grant we are receiving today from the UN Road Safety Fund to implement the Project ‘Safe Road Zambia – Creating Cities for Non – Motorized Transportation Users’ from among the 76 projects submitted by 52 countries is a demonstration of the significance and commitment the Zambian Government attaches to Road Safety. I am convinced that the project will accelerate progress in improving the road safety profile for Zambia.”

And the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) Director and Chie Executive Officer Gladwell Banda has said that the implementation of the ‘Safe Road Zambia’ Project is anchored on the Non-Motorized Transport strategy which has targeted the construction and development of walkways, cycle pathways, traffic calming, speed reduction to 30 Km/h in School and highway pedestrian zones, street lightings, road safety education and road safety engineering measures.

Meanwhile, Kafwaya held a bilateral meeting with the Swedish Minister for Infrastructure Tomas Eneroth and discussed road safety best practices and support for concrete actions in achieving the road safety-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. Sweden records an average of 16 road deaths annually.

This is according to a statement issued by RTSA Head-Public Relations Fredrick Mubanga.

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