Transaid, the road transport industry charity, works with partners and governments in over 20 countries, the majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa, to deliver important projects in the areas of road safety and health.
The organisation – founded in 1998 by Save the Children, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and its Patron, HRH The Princess Royal – has more than 30 corporate partners from across the transport industry which share time, expertise and resources to strengthen the organisation’s programmes.
These include the Safe African Helmets Initiative, two-wheeler safety work in Kenya and Ghana, the Driving Safety Across Ghana project and the charity’s continued work through the MAMaZ Against Malaria programme.
Earlier this month, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, together with more than 100 transport, logistics and international development industry representatives, gathered in London as Transaid celebrated 20 years of partnership with Zambia’s Industrial Training Centre (ITC) at its annual Showcase event.
As the country’s only public commercial driver training centre, the ITC provides a range of accredited training courses, including HGV, PSV, forklift, and motorcycle training.
Over the past two decades, the partnership has strengthened professional driver training in Zambia through the sharing of skills, knowledge and technical expertise, alongside industry donations of vehicles and equipment.
Caroline Barber, Chief Executive of Transaid, said: “Reaching this 20-year milestone demonstrates what can be achieved through sustained collaboration.
“Their efforts have helped create stronger training systems which can continue delivering benefits long into the future.”
This May, a group of nine Transaid corporate supporters went on a self-funded, four-day trip to Zambia to look at the charity’s access to healthcare and professional driver training projects in the country.
It included senior representatives from Asset Alliance Group, Brigade Electronics, Garnett Keeler PR, GXO, Hankook, Iron Mountain, Michelin, Microlise, and the Road Haulage Association.
On the final day of the visit, the group spent time at the ITC in Lusaka, where they met the management team and trainers, and saw driver training underway.
The group also joined local Ministry of Health teams to visit two locations in Central Province – among the more than 150 rural communities in Zambia to receive a bicycle ambulance from Transaid since 2010 – helping to improve access to essential healthcare, particularly for maternal health and malaria.
Michael Bycroft, Managing Director of Asset Alliance Group, said: “Driving a truck, bus or coach is a skilled job at the best of times, but the road conditions in Zambia show just how demanding it can be.
“Seeing it first-hand really brings home the scale of the challenges professional drivers face and reinforces why we came on board as a Transaid corporate partner in 2024.”
The UK’s largest independent bus operator, McGill’s Bus Group, recently joined as a corporate partner in an initial three-year agreement.
Based in Greenock, family-owned McGill’s operates services across the central belt, Dundee, Aberdeen, and Inverness, including city and rural bus services, intercity coach travel, city tours, day trips and private hire.
Ralph Roberts, Chairman at McGill’s Bus Group, said: “We’re really looking forward to getting involved with all Transaid’s events and fundraisers.
“It is very clear that the work carried out by Transaid and its local partners is making a tangible difference in sub-Saharan Africa, and we’re excited to help in any way we can.”
Transaid’s Kilimanjaro to Coast Cycle Challenge recently raised £200,000 to support the organisation’s road safety and access to healthcare projects.
The five-day journey saw 36 riders from across the transport and logistics sector cycle 282 miles across Tanzania, from the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro to the country’s Indian Ocean coastline.
Riders represented 21 companies including ABE Ledbury, Asset Alliance Group, Balthazar, BIFA, Hireco, Lochmaben Transport, Logistics Business, Marks & Spencer, Michelin, Microlise, Multimodal, Oxalis Logistics, Parksafe Automotive and PF Whitehead Logistics.
Next year, the organisation’s cycling challenge will take place from 17-22 May and will see participants cycle 335km over four days from Jesolo Beach in Italy to the shores of Lake Bohinj in Slovenia.
Pawel Jarza, Policy, Compliance and External Affairs Director at BIFA and challenge participant, said: “Completing this cycle challenge was such an incredible experience.
“While the route tested us physically, it also provided a powerful insight into the communities Transaid supports and the role that transport plays in improving lives.
“Knowing that together we raised £200,000 makes every kilometre worthwhile.”
Transaid also entered a partnership with the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) in Ghana in 2021.
Through the Driving Safety Across Ghana programme, funded by the Puma Energy Foundation, Transaid, the DVLA, other government agencies and industry stakeholders are working to reduce the incidence of road traffic collisions through the strengthening of driver training capacity and the adoption of a new HGV driver training standard, launched in 2024.
To help with the programme, a Stralis truck, donated by Transaid’s corporate partner Iveco, has entered service as a training vehicle at the DVLA in Accra, Ghana, following a formal handover.
This dedicated vehicle for examiner training and practical assessment of F-Class licence applicants supports both practical driver assessments and instructor development as part of efforts to improve road safety and driving standards across the country.
Iveco also donated a Stralis for a similar driver training project in Tanzania in 2011.
Previously, Iveco also donated three new Daily vans to support an access to healthcare project in Ghana, and an on/off-road Trakker to help with the post-tsunami clean-up in Sri Lanka.
In addition, Iveco employees have participated in Transaid’s cycle challenges for the past four years, including this year’s ride from London to the Isle of Wight.
Annalisa Citterio, Head of Sustainability at Iveco Group,said: “Standing alongside local communities, understanding their needs, and providing concrete support represent a fundamental commitment for us.
“Our partnership with Transaid reaffirms our aim to generate tangible impact on the ground by promoting training, road‑safety awareness, and high professional standards for drivers and local stakeholders.”
For more information and to find out how to support the organisation, visit www.transaid.org.
