UK based Zambian to cycle from Lusaka to Livingstone to shed light on preventable road deaths
LONDON, United Kingdom, February 7, 2018/ — A family tragedy has inspired a United Kingdom based Zambian Alfred Chipembele to take on an epic challenge to cycle 490 kilometers from Lusaka to Livingstone to create road safety awareness.
And Charge d’Affaires at the Zambia High Commission in London Mrs. Patricia Sikaala Chanda has said road accidents devastate lives and deferral the economic and social development of a nation.
The Deputy Head of Mission echoed President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s words saying “Our President, His Excellency Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu and the Zambian Government are committed to investing in road safety to reduce the number of accidents and enhance the country’s socio-economic development”.
She said it was important for all Zambians to safeguard the lives of all road users and commended Alfred Chipembele for taking on a marathon challenge to cycle 490 kilometers from Lusaka to the Livingston in an effort to sensitize people on preventable road deaths.
Alfred Chipembele has signed up to a global effort to prevent road deaths by taking part in the Transaid’s Cycle Zambia 2018 in September. Transaid aims to change lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport, empowering people to build the skills they need to transform their own lives.
This will see him cycle 490 kilometers from Lusaka to Livingstone with the goal of contributing £3,650 to charity’s work in Africa.
In an interview Mr. Chipembele said he joined the campaign mission to create road safety awareness in an effort to reduce road traffic accidents in Zambia and Africa in general.
“In March 2008 my elder brother Millios Tembo, and his friend lost their lives at a Zebra crossing after being hit by a minibus driver in Lusaka. It is for this reasons and in memory of all those loved ones who have lost their lives as a result of reckless driving and defective vehicles that I have decided to be part of the Cycle Zambia challenge.” He said.
Transaid has partnered with the Industrial Training Centre Trust (ITC) to build the Zambia Professional Driver Training initiative, which has been expanded into Tanzania, Uganda, and Malawi.
Industrial Training Centre Trust ITC is a Grade One institution registered with TEVETA. It is legally constituted as a Management Board under the Ministry of Higher Education and is supervised by Board members appointed by the Minister. In 2008 with the aim of enhancing training capacity, ITC partnered with an international development NGO Transaid that seeks to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life within Africa and across the developing world. Transaid strives to make transport more efficient, effective and safe.
