APM Terminals signs MoU with Ghana for port road development

November 28, 2017: APM Terminals Inland Services Africa has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Ghana, and the non-profit road safety organisation Amend to ensure port access roads and highways that will handle the inland transportation are safe and able to handle increased traffic flow. The collaboration aims to improve road safety as part of government policy and safety culture in nearby communities as new port takes shape.

The MoU signing ceremony was in the presence of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark who was on an official state visit to Ghana and the Ghana Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

According to a release from APM terminals, the construction of the new port and logistics hub in Tema will have huge benefits for the Ghanaian economy and the livelihoods of Ghanaian people when opened in 2019.

Peter Jakobsen, head of Africa Inland Services, APM Terminals based in Ghana said, “We wanted to start this road safety initiative proactively with our customers and our partners before our new port opens in 2019 to prepare the country for future growth in cargo volumes and new inland distribution patterns. We have a lot of expertise and best practices in this area from our work with other customers and countries so our partnership with Amend – an Africa road safety specialist - promises to deliver the critical results necessary to protect people’s lives and ensure Ghana’s supply chains succeed.”

APM Terminals and Amend joined hands during an APM Terminals’ Magnum leadership training program in Ghana earlier this year. The participants worked with Amend to map out the social and business ideas necessary to develop new ways of improving corporate social responsibility through road safety initiatives and community engagement. A joint project was created out of this collaboration.

The statement further added, according to Amend, over 1.2 million worldwide die every year from road traffic injuries, and millions more are injured. Africa has the world’s highest road traffic injury rates, and road traffic injury is the leading cause of death for children over five-years-old. Amend develops, implements and evaluates evidence-based programs to reduce the incidence of road traffic injury in Africa, using population-based scientific studies, community-based road safety programs, advocacy, lighting infrastructure, media campaigns and school programs such as high visibility, reflective school bags.