The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is partnering with global corporations to build a world-class Transport Training Centre in Accra, aimed at enhancing transport and logistics capacities across West Africa.
The centre will inject new expertise into local transport markets, equipping them to deliver life-saving goods like food and medicine more efficiently throughout the region.
A joint statement from WFP and its partners, Carrier Global Corporation, Renault Trucks, and Toyota Tsusho indicated that “the Government of Ghana and WFP will set up a first-of-its-kind centre that will offer free online and hands-on training to up to 400 people per year.
The training, it explained, will be provided on best practices in road transport, fleet management, and the safe transport of temperature-sensitive commodities, adding that trainees will include staff from humanitarian organisations, governments, and the local private sector.
The statement also quoted WFP’s Director of Supply Chain, Alex Marianelli, saying “over the last couple of years, we’ve seen how important strong and resilient supply chains are, and this training centre is a critical step towards building stronger supply chains in West Africa.”
“WFP has a long history in West Africa and we’re excited to share our knowledge and experience and – through our partners – provide access to the latest knowledge from leading experts,” it added.
According to the statement, increased local capacities and expertise in the supply chain will in turn support WFP’s emergency and resilience-building operations in vulnerable communities across West Africa.
“Construction of the centre is expected to commence later this year with the financial support of the Government of Japan, on land donated by the Government of Ghana as part of the existing WFP United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot operations,” it disclosed.
The statement further indicated that “through the centre, partners and stakeholders aim to address the challenges hindering the development of the transport sector across West Africa, including lack of training opportunities and limited technical know-how.”
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