By Abbanobi -Eku Onyeka
The Road Safety and Driving Standard Association [RSDSA] of The Gambia and the Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative [APRI] of Nigeria have formalized a partnership to improve road safety in both countries by signing a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU]
The agreement is designed to foster closer collaboration between authorities in Banjul and Abuja through the sharing of best practices. It aims to strengthen institutional capacity and coordinate joint initiatives to address the high rates of road traffic accidents in both nations.
RSDSA was represented by Njie Barde, while APRI was represented by Amb. Fidelis Nnadi. Speaking shortly after the signing, Barde said the collaboration is important not only for the association but for The Gambia as a country.
“We need this type of collaboration, as Gambia ranked 8th position in the global road accidents index,” said Njie Baldeh, administrative secretary of RSDSA. He thanked APRI for joining efforts aimed at curtailing global road deaths and fatalities.
Baldeh revealed that RSDSA was registered in 2018 with the Attorney General’s Chambers and has since been working with stakeholders to reduce road accidents in The Gambia. He said the new partnership will help scale those efforts.
On his part, Amb. Fidelis Nnadi, Executive Director of APRI, welcomed the collaboration as conforming with global partnership demands. He said the agreement positions both organizations to deliver coordinated interventions and save lives on the road.
