Appiah Kusi Adomako Urges Government to Declare Road Crashes a Public Health Emergency Following Surge in Fatalities

Appiah Kusi Adomako, the Director of the West Africa Regional Centre of CUTS International, has called on the Ghanaian government to officially declare road crashes as a public health emergency. Highlighting a staggering statistic of over 2,500 road-related deaths in the past year, Adomako argued that the scale of the crisis requires an urgent, high-level response akin to the measures deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasized that the current rate of fatalities represents a national catastrophe that can no longer be managed through routine traffic enforcement alone.

Central to Adomako’s advocacy is the stark disparity in how the state allocates resources and attention to different types of crises. He pointed out that while the government mobilized significant funding and infrastructure to combat COVID-19, road safety has historically suffered from under-investment despite consistently claiming thousands of lives annually. To address this, he is calling for a fundamental shift in national strategy, urging the current administration to treat road safety as a long-term priority rather than a secondary transport issue, backed by the same level of political will seen in other health emergencies.

Beyond increased funding, the CUTS International Director is advocating for the modernization of traffic management through technology and increased human presence. He proposed the implementation of automated traffic enforcement systems and a more visible, consistent police presence on major highways to directly influence driver behavior. According to Adomako, while enforcement is a critical pillar, it must be integrated into a broader cultural shift where safety is prioritized by both the state and individual road users to effectively reduce casualty rates.

Ultimately, the success of these proposed measures depends on a collective effort involving all stakeholders, from government agencies to the general public. Adomako stressed that road safety is a communal responsibility, requiring active engagement and a commitment to new standards of vigilance. By elevating road crashes to the status of a public health emergency, he believes Ghana can finally secure the necessary resources and institutional focus to safeguard lives and ensure the nation’s roads are no longer perceived as death traps.