Transaid announces training milestone at annual showcase

International transport charity Transaid said it had now helped train 50,000 HGV, PSV and forklift drivers over the last 14 years, boosting the standards of road safety in sub-Saharan Africa.

At its annual showcase event in London this week, it told an audience of corporate members and supporters that since 2008, training had been provided to more than 100 professional driver trainers, who in turn had delivered training to tens of thousands of truckers.

Transaid road safety project manager Neil Rettie (pictured) said that it now needed to work hard to support female drivers in gaining employment and completing their training.

He said that when entering a male-dominated sector, women were often compared directly to male candidates – who already possessed years of experience.

Rettie also warned that sky high shipping costs meant it had become unrealistically expensive to send donor vehicles to African countries and he invited offers from logistics or shipping partners.

The showcase was also an opportunity to present the annual Victor Simfukwe award, which recognises outstanding contribution.

This year GXO graduate Abbie Rennison was highly commended for her nine-month secondment to the charity’s professional driver training work in Uganda, whilst former Transaid chair Jo Godsmark won the overall award for her commitment to the organisation.