By Edward Vamboi
On the 11th March, 2020, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), Sheikh Bawoh, told the Management and Staff of the institution that the Autospec Project will serve as a blueprint to address the escalating crisis on our roads.
He made that statement while addressing Board of Directors, Management and staff members during an Emergency General Meeting held at the Authority’s Conference room on Wednesday 11th March 2020.
The Board Chairman noted that the vehicle and drivers’ license system in Sierra Leone has so many loopholes that are hindering the growth of SLRSA. He said it may not be possible to completely eliminate all risks, but it is possible to reduce the exposure to the risk of severe injuries and to minimize its intensity.
To address these weaknesses, he said, there is an urgent need for effective mobilization of resources and redirection of efforts to secure commitment and sustainability for achieving a new set of strategic objectives hence the introduction of the Public Private Partnership.
“The guiding principles underlying the AUTOSPEC/SLRSA deal hinge on the “SAFE SYSTEM” approach which aims at developing a road transportation system that is better able to accommodate human errors and take into consideration the vulnerability of the body. The Autospec deal serves as a blueprint to address the escalating crisis on our roads,” Sheikh Bawoh said. He continued that road safety in Sierra Leone is an issue of concern and there has been a general oversight and neglect with regards to road safety issues at all levels and this is what Autospec has come to put an end to.
Mr. Bawoh intimated all present that Autospec is currently working on the construction of its state of the art vehicle fitness facilities across the country and upon completion that will put an end to the age old problem of ‘Broko-Broko Lorry’ plying our streets and Sierra Leoneans would start to see a drastic reduction in the number of road crashes caused by derelict vehicles. The construction of a state of the art vehicle fitness facility is in line with Part 5 of President Julius Maada Bio’s New Direction Manifesto on Improving Infrastructure on Road Transportation.
Speaking on Safety and Security features of the new products that will be introduced by Autospec, Sheikh M. Bawoh said safety and security form the bedrock or foundation stone on which rest the Autospec/SLRSA deal. Over the years, he said, SLRSA has been grappling with issues of forgery of its products and services by some unscrupulous individuals. Such acts cannot be unconnected with the compromising security features of some SLRSA products (Drivers License, Vehicle License and Registration plates). Issues that has to do with fake or duplication of vehicle registration plates will be a thing of the past as Autospec will introduce products (Vehicle License Plates and Drivers License) with very strong security features that can not be faked or duplicated. This, he said, will in turn see the end of untraceable hit and run drivers on the streets of Freetown because the system will be fully digitalized and leaves no room for forgery.
On revenue generation, the Chairman said the digitalization and introduction of a fully securitized License System can help increase revenue for the SLRSA and by extension the central Government. This, according to him, will in turn usher in more tax returns by the service provider to the central government which will be utilized for the socio-economic development of Sierra Leone.
He admonished staff members to support the initiative with the best of their abilities stressing that no staff would be laid off.
