Food Security: Minepat and WFP want to strengthen the fight against hunger

A capacity building workshop for experts from the Central Africa sub-region was held at the Star Land Hotel in Yaoundé from 09 to 10 July 2024, organized by the “Safer and Cleaner Used Vehicles for Africa” Programme. The objective of this workshop was to encourage the adoption of regulations and incentives to promote the importation of safer and cleaner vehicles into the region.

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Transport of Cameroon, Mveimani Sombo Amba, representing the Minister of Transport, opened the workshop on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. The assembled experts seized the opportunity to define a sub-regional roadmap aimed at establishing minimum safety and environmental standards for imported used vehicles. The need for such an initiative is highlighted by the World Health Organization, which reports that Central African countries have high road fatality rates relative to motorization rates. Furthermore, air quality in major metropolises in the region is rapidly deteriorating due to automobile pollution, while the growth in the vehicle fleet is estimated at over 50%, exceeding the global average of 40%.

The experts gathered in Yaoundé shared their experiences on the regulatory framework for the importation of used vehicles, the inspection or technical control of vehicles, as well as the quality of fuels. This collaboration aims to promote the importation of safer and cleaner vehicles, while taking into account the issues of road safety and environmental preservation.

The program “Safest and cleanest used vehicles for Africa” benefit from the financial support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the FIA ​​Foundation (Fédération Internationale d’Automobile), the Climate Works Foundation, the United Nations Road Safety Trust Fund, the International Motor Vehicle Inspection Committee (CITA), as well as African regional bodies.

This workshop marks an important step in promoting road safety and environmental preservation in Central Africa, testing the commitment of regional and international actors to address these crucial challenges for sustainable development.

Gilles Noubissie

Related