A second WHO-trained journalist has won the road safety category of the Ghana Journalism Association's annual national journalism awards.
Ghana News Agency Senior Editor Dasmani Issifu Laary's Deadly Highways: Fixing Ghana's Silent Epidemic , exposes systemic causes of road deaths and serious injuries, analyzes road safety reforms, and discusses life-saving actions from across Africa that Ghana could adopt.
Road deaths are rising faster in Africa than any other region with almost 250 000 lives lost in 2021. The WHO African Region accounts for nearly one-fifth of global road deaths, despite being home to just 3% of registered vehicles. In Ghana, road deaths increased by 65% between 2016 and 2021 .
The report describes road fatalities as 'a devastating reality that can no longer be ignored.' It looks at speed reduction, road infrastructure, law enforcement, vehicle and motorcycle helmet safety standards, government coordination and reforms, and the urgent need to protect pedestrians.
"The story helped ignite national debate, with the government now reviewing its laws. State agencies that were previously not involved in road design now demand involvement," Laary says.
The report cites successful actions undertaken in other African nations, including mandatory GPS tracking for public and commercial vehicles in Uganda and robust law enforcement in South Africa.
"Road safety is a moral and national responsibility. Every life saved is a legacy preserved," Laary said on receiving the award at a ceremony in Kumasi with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
Experts quoted in the report call for a 'holistic approach' that is based on the proven 'safe systems' approach. This is rooted in reducing kinetic energy that breaks fragile human bodies in a crash.
The safe systems approach underpins the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety which offers a blueprint for governments to reduce road deaths and move towards safe and sustainable mobility for everyone in line with the goal of halving road deaths and injuries globally by 2030.
"Journalists have a crucial role in calling for proven policies and actions that save lives. This is the second national award won by a WHO-trained journalist in Ghana. It drives the debate forward and shows what is needed," said Dr Nhan Tran, Head of Violence and Injury Prevention at WHO.
Dasmani Issifu Laary's win follows Jonathan Donkor's award-winning investigation into the impact of used tyres on road crashes in 2023. WHO-trained journalists from India , Nigeria and Viet Nam have won national and international journalism awards for road safety investigations in the last two years.
The WHO Road Safety Reporting initiative trains journalists to dig-deeper into the causes and solutions to road crashes. which are the leading global cause of death for children and youth aged 5–29. It is part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety.
"I am grateful to WHO for deepening my knowledge in solutions journalism for road safety. I am reflecting on how to use the award to spur road safety reform," says Dasmani Issifu Laary.
'Every family and road user deserves a safe journey,' the report states. 'By heeding experts calling for change, we can begin to tackle the silent epidemic on Ghana's roads – one mile a time.'
