Transaid appoints Project Manager for West Africa - 5 June 06 : Transaid

A picture of Ekow Fletcher, Transaid's Ghanian Regional Project Manager for West Africa.

Release date: 5 June 2006

TRANSAID APPOINTS PROJECT MANAGER FOR WEST AFRICA

Based in Accra, Ghana, his appointment follows nine years working for non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) in Africa, most recently as Partnership Coordinator on the Western and Ashanti STI and HIV/AIDS project implemented by Care International. He brings a wealth of knowledge to his new role, including direct experience in the areas of project design, planning, implementation, management and monitoring, as well as in community development, capacity building and education.

Chris Saunders, Chief Executive of Transaid says: “Ekow’s appointment allows Transaid to benefit from its first full-time Project Manager to work on the ground in West Africa. Initially his focus will be on growing our work with the Ministry of Health in Sierra Leone, looking at the opportunities to extend our emergency health transport work in Nigeria, and developing a project to give women market traders in Ghana control of their transport operations and costs.”

His background also includes two years working as Logistics and Transport Officer for Omnibus Services Authority’s branch on Ghana’s Cape Coast, where his duties included overseeing the smooth management of a fleet of vehicles, as well as appraising the performance of drivers.

Ekow will be visiting Transaid’s headquarters in London in July for his formal induction to the charity. He is married with two children and speaks English, French, Affutu, Fante, Ga and Twi.

His appointment follows the relocation of Victor Mengot, Transaid’s Regional Programme Manager, to Mombassa, Kenya, for a 12 month period which began in January 2006. This has seen Victor working to improve the quality of healthcare by building the systems and skills to enable the Kenyan Ministry of Health to run its vehicle fleet more efficiently.

Victor has worked with Transaid for five years, and his new field-based position has provided the perfect opportunity for Transaid to develop its East African programme, building on the successes already achieved helping to put local transport solutions in place in West and Southern Africa.

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Note to Editor: Transaid (www.transaid.org) is an international development agency that aims to improve people’s quality of life in the developing world by making transport more available and affordable. It was founded by Save The Children and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK) and works by sharing skills and knowledge with local people to enable them to put in place and manage efficient transport systems.

Transaid’s core work includes creating transport management systems for the public sector and assisting with the provision of professional driving qualification development and the training of driver trainers. It also assists with teaching preventive vehicle maintenance management and introducing local, low cost transport solutions including its innovative bicycle ambulance. Transaid also helps promote HIV, AIDS and road safety awareness and shares its specialist knowledge with the humanitarian aid sector.

Transaid enjoys strong backing from the transport and logistics industry and the active involvement of its patron, HRH The Princess Royal.

For further press information:

Caroline Beaumont at Transaid on +44 (0)20 7387 8136

James Keeler at Garnett Keeler on +44 (0)20 8399 1184

Ekow Fletcher, 45, has been appointed Project Manager for Transaid’s activities across West Africa, with responsibility for programme development in the region and live projects in Sierra Leone and Nigeria.