05.03.07
Seychelles plans to save 50% of GDP
Seychelles road transport sector has indicated a goal of the national scale – to save 50% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually. This is the amount usually lost in road accidents.
To save the money, a series of measures are planned to be taken. These were outlined during a conference held on April 23 at the National Theatre, when Gerard Lafortune, the principal secretary for Tourism and Transport, launched the Road Safety Week (April 23-29) in the presence of Joseph Belmont, Vice-President. The conference was visited by partners that will work on reducing road traffic accidents, including members of the National Road Safety Committee, who stem from the Ministry of Health, Seychelles Police, Land Transport Division, Seychelles Red Cross Ministry of Education, etc. Road Safety Week 2007 was focused on youths as they used to be the main victims of road accidents.
Mr Lafortune discussed the challenge of doubling Seychelles’ GDP in 10 years by decreasing road accident fatality rate twice by 2017. He emphasized the necessity to work out a strategy to achieve this national aim and to get the fullest support from the government.
According to Lafortune, in 2006, 12 people died in road accidents in Seychelles, which was 14 deaths per 100 000 population, while the countries with the safest roads have about 5 deaths per 100 000 population per annum.