The CEO'S Welcome Address at the Training of Trainers Workshop for Taxi Unions and Societies
A BRIEF WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF VANGUARD ASSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, MR. MAHAMA EMMANUEL BABA READ ON HIS BEHALF BY MR. GEDION AMENYEDOR, THE CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 3RD TRAINING OF TRAINERS WORKSHOP FOR TAXI UNIONS AND SOCIETIES IN THE GREATER ACCRA REGION ON THE 12TH OF NOVEMBER 2007.
Mr. Chairman,
Hon. Nii Adjiri Blankson, Mayor of Accra & our Special Guest of Honour
Distinguished Invited Guests
Executives of Various Private Road Transport Organisations
Representatives of Taxi Unions
Our friends from the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen
Its gives me a great pleasure to welcome all of you to this morning’s function – the opening ceremony of the 3rd Vanguard Training of Trainers Workshop for taxi unions and societies in the Greater Accra Region.
The annual training of trainer’s workshop for taxi unions and societies is a major component of the Vanguard Taxi Project, a social responsibility project which we instituted in 2003. The objectives of the Project are three-fold.
1. To complement the efforts of agencies involved in road safety
2. To contribute to the development of Tourism in Ghana
3. To contribute towards uplifting the image of the taxi driving profession in Ghana
Key components of the Project are:
- The annual Vanguard Best Taxi Driver Awards
- The annual Training of Trainers Programme for Taxi Unions/Drivers
- The Group Taxi Insurance Scheme
- Drivers’ Life Assurance/Welfare Scheme
Mr. Chairman, Honourable Mayor of Accra, Distinguished Guests, Ladies & gentlemen
This is the third such workshop we are organising for taxi unions in the Greater Accra Region. We have also organized one for the Car Rentals Association of Ghana. This year, we will also organize similar workshops in the Ashanti and the Western Regions. This is because these are among the venues for the Ghana 2008 football fiesta, which kicks off early January next year and is expected to bring foreign visitors into this country in numbers which are likely to challenge our hospitality industry to the limit. I believe among the key service providers in our hospitality industry are taxi drivers and we need to prepare them to face up to the challenges of the Ghana 2008.
Mr. Chairman, Honourable Mayor of Accra, Distinguished Guests,
The need for training to improve the skills of our taxi drivers became evident after the first Vanguard Best Taxi Driver Awards Selection process in 2004. The report submitted by the Selection Committee showed clearly certain deficiencies in the driving skills and customer care behaviour of our taxi drivers hence our decision to institute a training programme to correct such deficiencies.
Due to practical difficulties in getting all taxi drivers to effectively participate in such training programmes, we decided to rather train trainers for the taxi unions and societies. We usually advise the union executives that in nominating drivers to be trained of trainers, the ability of the nominee to impart the knowledge acquired to his colleagues should be given prime consideration. I therefore believe that the drivers we have here today have been carefully chosen and will see themselves as key agents of change and partners in our efforts to improve the driving and customer relations skills of our taxi drivers throughout Ghana.
We have over the years enjoyed the collaboration of governmental agencies such as DVLA, National Road Safety Commission, the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit of the Ghana Police Service, the Fire Service and indeed all the Private Road Transport Organisations and their umbrella body the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council. We are very grateful to them.
We are also privileged to have the Ministry of Transportation and of course the Honourable Mayor of Accra taking keen interest in our Taxi Project this year. I am also glad that Mr. J. Y. Amegashie, who is no doubt one of the experts on driver training and licensing agreeing to chair the opening ceremony of this year’s workshop. We are sincerely grateful and hope to have him as a resource person at future workshops to share his vast knowledge and experience with our taxi drivers.
Mr. Chairman, Our Special Guest of Honour, ladies and gentlemen, Vanguard is committed to transforming the taxi industry in Ghana and to the creation of a new image for the taxi driver. Our taxi project this year has made significant progress with our decision to support the acquisition of new taxis for distribution to taxi drivers on “work and pay basis”. We believe patrons of taxi services in this country deserve some comfort and that taxi drivers will be economically empowered through this arrangement. The first batch of 100 vehicles will be commissioned in two days time, the day for the Zonal Vanguard Best Taxi Driver Awards Ceremony. I believe you are aware that the winner of the grand prize will take home a brand new taxi cab. We also have over 250 consolation prizes comprising Double door Fridges, Table Top Fridges, Color TV Sets and Standing Fans.
I have no doubt that by now taxi drivers in Ghana are realizing how serious we are with our Taxi Project and our vision to transform the taxi industry in Ghana. The laudable objectives of the Project cannot however be achieved without the active involvement of taxi drivers, taxi owners and taxi unions. Taxi drivers and taxi unions must take ownership of this project, make it your own and ensure that it succeeds. We need a transformation of our minds and our attitudes. We must obey driving rules and regulations. We must adopt customer care practices and avoid the things we use to do which have given us the not too good an image over the years. It is time for a new breed of taxi drivers and we at Vanguard want any taxi driver driving one of the new taxis or who has our taxi sticker or carry our insurance sticker to be a special kind of taxi driver.
That will be our pride and encouragement to continue supporting the taxi industry in Ghana.
Mr. Chairman, Honourable Mayor of Accra, Distinguished Guests, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Board of Directors and Management of Vanguard Assurance Company Limited, I thank all of you for honouring us with your presence this morning. I am grateful to the resource persons who will be taking our trainees through various topics at this workshop.
For the trainees, I entreat you to take your lessons seriously and see yourselves as agents of change within the taxi industry in Ghana.
I wish you all a fruitful two-day workshop.
Thank you. |
