South Sudan Awarded Global Road Achievement Prize

A group photo for the Transport Ministry staff and the Louis Berger group (centre) the Deputy Minister Mayom Kuoc holding the trophy [©Gurtong]

By Juma John Stephen
JUBA, 9th March 2012 [Gurtong]

The prize was won by the Louis Berger Group project (Sudan infrastructure capacity building in working in South Sudan), and the prize was received in Washington DC on 24th January, 2011 by South Sudan’s Ambassador in the United States of America, and the Senior Vice President of Louis Berger Group, on behalf of the Ministry of Transport.

Speaking during a ceremony to deliver the prize to the Ministry in Juba on Wednesday, the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mayom Kuoc Malek highlighted the significance of the award.

 “The Ministry of Transport emerged the winner of the 2011 Global Road Achievement Award-Road safety category. The Republic of South Sudan and Ministry of Transport are very grateful for coaching our team with the best international practice of innovation, creativity cost serving and sustainable solutions on road safety,” Kuoc said.

“This award will be our guiding principle in our endeavour to pursue a proactive policy to reduce road accidents. Our dedicated staff worked as a team. I would like to appeal to donors to support the field of road safety,” the deputy minister continued.

The Minister was quick to say that, “doubting Thomas’ will say that this was a favour to the Republic of South Sudan, but the country competed with nine other counties, judged by a penal of independent international judges with experts in the field of road safety and due to job well done South Sudan got the award.”

The President of Louis Berger Group, Larry Walker said during the nomination what the company put forward was a collaborative effort with cross-multiple agencies, donor and Ministries in South Sudan.

“This is an extremely prestigious award, it shows a lot of hard work and dedication from lots of people and that gives you a solid foundation to building the future of roads in South Sudan. In the long term we want to educate the drivers to reduce road accidents,” Berger stressed.

“It was a very holistic approach not for people who only use the road but also for those who leave along the road. In particular having a road like the ‘Juba-Nimule road’ to build the program around was important in the nomination process.”

According to the Deputy Minister each year more than 1.17 million people die in road crash and more than 10 million are crippled or injured globally. The World Health organization in 1990 identified traffic injuries and by 2020 it said that traffic injuries will be health risks.

The Louis Berger Group
The Louis Berger Group is an internationally recognized consulting firm that provides engineering, architecture, program and construction management, environmental planning and science, and economic development services. For nearly 60 years the group operates with a commitment to integrity held to the highest standards of ethics, quality, and accountability.

http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ID/6597/Default.aspx