BAT Bangladesh hosts Road Safety Workshop in Dhaka

British American Tobacco (BAT) Bangladesh hosted 'Road Safety Workshop 2022' at the capital's Six Seasons Hotel on October 30.

A total of 25 participants from multinational corporations and local businesses, including Unilever Bangladesh ltd, Coca-Cola Bangladesh Beverages Ltd, Linde Bangladesh Ltd, Daraz Bangladesh Ltd, AH Khan and Co Ltd, RedX and Paperfly Pvt Ltd attended the workshop, said a press release.

Bora Gulpinar, Regional Head of Sustainability-BAT and Swad Us Sami, Country Sustainability Manager-BAT Bangladesh, delivered opening speeches and shared their expectations.

The primary objective of the workshop was to create a collaborative platform where we can showcase our best practices, discuss our shared challenges, and unite together as we work towards common goal of eliminating accidents and serious injuries from road networks.

The forum acknowledged the need for a collaborative approach to look for road safety best practices and bringing in digitalization to take control over road safety. Also, all organisations agreed on feasibility analysis for engaging and empowering the female drivers for achieving greater gender equality. Rumana Sharmin, Sustainability manager- TM&D and Secondary Supply chain, facilitated the workshop and engaged the panel members in a series of discussions emphasizing the urgent need for developing the capability of the relevant personnel associated with road safety.

In the closing statement, Mr Charles Kyalo, Head of Operations-BAT Bangladesh, said, "With the increase of economic growth in Bangladesh, the number of vehicles is rapidly increasing. Road accidents happen due to various reasons, including reckless overtaking, inefficiency in driving, lack of adequate rest for drivers, violation of traffic laws by pedestrians and social unawareness. Developed communication infrastructure and up-to-date transport services are perquisites to sustainable socio-economic development. Prioritising on that, our government has ushered in a new era in constructing and re-constructing new roads and bridges, including construction of Metrorail, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines, elevated expressways, flyovers, overpasses, bridges and underpasses.