By Akosua Frema Frempong & Charity Opoku
The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Service Secretariat, Alex Opoku Mensah has appealed to the Police to expedite action in prosecuting fraudsters who pose as national service personnel, to deter others from doing the same.
Mr. Opoku Mensah made the appeal at the opening of a three-day training programme in Kumasi for National Service Personnel attached to the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Police Service.
Data from the National Insurance Commission show that Ghana’s insurance penetration and coverage remains quite low. The Commission has therefore reiterated its commitment to improve the trend in the next few years by implementing new initiatives.
As part of these, the Commission in collaboration with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service, and the National Service Secretariat, is embarking on an exercise to deploy a number of National Service personnel to inspect and also educate people on the need to insure their vehicles. The National Insurance Commission is hopeful this new partnership will grow the industry significantly.
A total of 70 National Service personnel posted to the Urban Traffic Management Unit of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department, MTTD of the Ghana Police Service in the Ashanti Region are currently being trained in Kumasi in traffic management to help control traffic in the major cities of the region.
During the three-day training, the National Service personnel will be educated on basic insurance and the novel Motor Insurance Database, which seeks to help MTTD personnel to check fake insurance stickers. The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Service Scheme Alex Opoku Mensah admonished the personnel undergoing the training to be disciplined in the discharge of their duties.
The Commissioner of the National Insurance Commission, Dr. Justice Yaw Ofori explained the importance of motor vehicle insurance.
The Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP, Afful Boakye Yiadom indicated that the course content was designed to equip them with knowledge, skills and competencies to effectively handle road traffic related problems in Kumasi and Ashanti region at large.