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40 MTTD personnel trained on ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme

A total of 40 personnel of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) under the Ghana Police Service and drawn from the Accra and Tema Region have been trained on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Brown Card Insurance Scheme.

The three-day training exercise which endedyesterday inAccra and formed part of a nationwide training workshop for the MTTD officers on the scheme, was to build the capacity of the personnel to ensure the smooth implementation of the ECOWAS Brown Card Scheme.

The ECOWAS Brown Card scheme, was introduced in 1982, following the signing of the ECOWAS Brown Card Protocol by the ECOWAS Heads of State with the primary objective to facilitate the free movement of people, goods and services, across the sub-region.

The scheme is expected to facilitate prompt and fair compensation payment to victims of motor accidents caused by a non-citizen motorist from a member country and it is a territorial extension of the motor third party liability insurance, which enables motorists to travel freely within the ECOWAS Brown Card region.

It is a common system for the settlement of motor insurance claims arising from international motor vehicular accidents. The initiative is expected to enhance trade harmony among member countries; particularly with regard to the laws and regulations on motor accident liability.

 The General Secretary of the Ghana National Bureau of the Scheme, Mr Richard Sarbah Eshun, noted that the training was to equip the personnel across the country to be abreast with new developments and the ability to identify and validate the authenticity of ECOWAS Brown Card certificates used by foreign motorists across the sub-region.

He entreated the MTTD to ensure foreign motorists in the country possessed valid ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Schemes.

“It is imperative for foreign motorists to have the ECOWAS Brown Card as that enables them to access claims against third party liabilities incurred while in the country and the other 14 member states of ECOWAS excluding Cape Verde which is an Island Country,” he said.

Mr Eshun also hinted that Ghanaian motorists had automatic ECOWAS Brown Cards once they have purchased local motor insurance policies.

He said some of the features that personnel of the MTTD should look-out for when determining the authenticity of the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance certificateswere name of issuing National Bureau, particulars of policyholder and insurer, policy number, individual serial number and period of validity of card.

The Director of Training and Research at the MTTD Department, Chief Superintendent Alexander Obeng, noted that the Department was committed to ensuring the success of the scheme on the roads and to ensure that safety on the roads were  prioritised especially in the event of accidents involving foreign vehicles from the sub-Region.

He commended the ECOWAS Brown Card Office for their continuous training support and assured the Ghana National Bureau of the support of the Police MTTD.

BY KINGSLEY ASARE

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