VIA Road Safety Ambassadors Identify Hazards Around Schools

Student ambassadors participating in the VIA Safe Mobility for All Young People Programme have identified several road safety and environmental hazards around their schools during a “Discovery Walk” exercise.

The exercise forms part of efforts to promote safer mobility for young people and was conducted across participating schools in the Eastern, Ashanti and Bono regions.

The programme, an initiative of the TotalEnergies Foundation, is being implemented in Ghana by the Oli Best Road Safety Organisation, with support from TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana PLC.

During the Discovery Walk, the student ambassadors conducted observational assessments of their school environments to identify hazards affecting their safety and mobility on their journeys to and from school.

The students identified several challenges, including unsafe school surroundings, dangerous driver behaviour, inadequate road infrastructure and signage, as well as poorly organised traffic and pedestrian environments.

The exercise also highlighted risks peculiar to individual schools and their surrounding communities.

Following the Discovery Walk, each participating school is expected to develop an action plan and undertake awareness-creation activities to address the identified risks and promote safer mobility within their communities.

The programme is expected to culminate in a final event in November 2026, where the participating schools will present proposals outlining practical solutions to the road safety challenges identified during the exercise.

The VIA Safe Mobility for All Young People Programme is a global initiative of the TotalEnergies Foundation aimed at reducing road-related injuries and fatalities among young people, who remain among the world’s most vulnerable road users.

Since its inception in 2019, the programme has promoted safer school journeys in more than 2,000 schools across 45 countries by empowering young people to serve as road safety ambassadors through practical and context-based education.

Eight schools are participating in the maiden edition of the programme in Ghana.

They are Nana Kwaku Boateng M/A Basic “A” School in Koforidua; Church of Christ Senior High School; Prempeh College; Kumasi Academy Senior High School; Amakom SDA JHS; KNUST Senior High School, all in Kumasi; Sacred Heart Senior High School; and Sunyani Senior High School.

The programme was officially launched in Ghana in May 2026, bringing together stakeholders and dignitaries from the education, emergency response and road safety sectors.

The initiative seeks to empower young people to identify road safety challenges within their communities and contribute to practical solutions aimed at making school journeys safer.