Release date: 16 June 2006
TRANSAID TAKES FIRST STEPS IN SIERRA LEONE
International development agency Transaid has completed an analysis in Sierra Leone to investigate how the introduction of its own ‘Transport Management System’ could benefit the country and its people.
The project marks the first work ever conducted by Transaid in Sierra Leone; a country which was dogged by civil war between 1991 and 2002 which killed 50,000 people.
Transaid found that rural areas are hit worst in terms of difficult access to transport and social services reliant on transport, such as basic maternal health care. Transporting food commodities to and from urban areas and market centres is also a major issue.
The analysis concluded that a fully implemented transport plan would be beneficial in all sectors of the economy including health, education, agriculture, security and the private sectors.
Ekow Fletcher, Transaid’s West Africa Project Manager, explains: “The most urgent requirement for assistance was from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, where decisions regarding the utilisation, maintenance and management of transport are conducted on an ad hoc basis. Its poorly maintained vehicles are also highly inefficient and a massive drain on resources.”
“Our task now is to define the activities required to achieve the objectives of establishing an effective transport system, initially with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, with the target of a project commencing on the ground by the autumn,” he adds.
Transaid undertook its analysis in the western region of Sierra Leone, which includes the capital, Freetown, and the Kambia, Port Loko and Tonkolili districts.
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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.
