Promoting Road Safety among Boda-boda Riders.The Ministry of Labour in collaboration with the Central Equatoria State traffic polices in Juba for the first time trained 221 motorcycle riders with the skills of entrepreneurship and defensive riding to follow traffic rules and regulations, which definitely promotes road safety among the boda-boda riders.
Statistically, the three months training of 210 males and 11 females in technical, efficiency and defensive motorcycle riding to generate family income commonly known as ‘Boda-Boda riders’ were finally graduated on 12th October 2022 in Juba Multiservice Training Center (MTC).
Africa Development Bank through United Nation Development Program (UNDP) satisfactorily funded the project and implemented by Smile Again Africa Development Organization (SAADO) for youth against poverty. The purpose is not only to derive youth in income generation solution, but also to let them create awareness of boda-boda riders to improve on road safety, as they cycled to reduce numbers of road accidents.
During the training, the Ministry communicated 75% of the skills through practical training and 25% of the knowledge were instructed theoretically. The students also got training in entrepreneurship as an additional skills for them to generate income in their houses efficiently.
Representative of the graduand, Arop Dhieu who succeeded in the training, delightfully explained the skills they acquired in three months. “We have being trained on road safety and traffic regulations, basic principles of customer care, financial management, self-presentation to customers, and marketing”. Arop Dhieu.
The Undersecretary in the Ministry of Labour, Mary Hilary Wani Pitia who witnessed the graduation excitingly appreciated the graduands. “I hope with this defensive skills training in motorcycle riding will certainly improve and make road safe for economic progress in your lives”. Said Mary.
Undersecretary advised the newly graduated boda-boda riders as they go out should put on their helmets thought out their ways. She also appeals to security personnel to provide maximum security in the country to protect the lives of these motorbikes riders. “I would like to appeal to the security personnel to strengthen the safety of these motorcycle riders for them to invest to support their family; it is through decent works like this where we can manage to chase poverty”. Mary added.
The Ministry of Labour aims at improving the economic status of youth as well as road safety. The graduation was so colorful that brought excitement to all as it began with marching and traffic police brass ban, throughout the time the podium was so amused with slogan that was formulated by The Deputy Resident Representative Program of UNDP, Titus Osundina “Trained and tested, safety to ride”. He said the slogan was to improve the life of our youth in South Sudan. He further unveiled that without the Africa Development Bank (ADB) the training could have not been successful; “The ADB financed and provided enough resource for training youth in South Sudan in various trades including technical ways of boda-boda riding for road safety”. Titus said.
He appreciated the 221 graduated students who have endured to complete the course that were equipped with skills of riding Boda-boda. The estimate of 10% of the population living in South Sudan used motorcycles for commercial purpose.
The increased demand for bikes has also attracted several youth groups, which have been set up to organize boda-boda riders in their areas known as Boda-boda Association, Town Saving and Loan Association, Cash Rounding Association, Boda-boda Station Point Association and many others for them to improve their economic status and chase poverty out of their community.