Fast Tracking Road Safety Initiatives in Africa: an Inescapable Necessity

The International Road Federation (IRF) Geneva, together with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Union (AU), and the Tanzanian Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication organised a regional seminar called “Fast Tracking Road Safety Initiatives in Africa: An Inescapable Necessity. ” The two-day Regional Road Safety Seminar was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 13 – 14 March 2017. The seminar focussed on ways to accelerate the implementation of actions to address t
May 30, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
A road safety initiative was held in Tanzania with the help of the IRF
The International Road Federation (IRF) Geneva, together with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Union (AU), and the Tanzanian Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication organised a regional seminar called “Fast Tracking Road Safety Initiatives in Africa: An Inescapable Necessity. ”  The two-day Regional Road Safety Seminar was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 13 – 14 March 2017.  The seminar focussed on ways to accelerate the implementation of actions to address the growing problem of road safety in Africa.


The Honourable Tanzanian Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, and Chairman of the IRF Africa Board, Prof. Makame Mbarawa, inaugurated the event in Dar Es Salaam and urged the participants to develop realistic and implementable strategies to combat the pandemic on African roads.  During his keynote address, the Honourable Deputy Minister of Transport of Namibia, Mr. Sankwasa James Sankwasa, emphasised the urgency of acting to improve road safety in Africa.

The key conclusions of the seminar were:

1. Political commitment is needed for improving road safety.

2. Each country should prepare a national road map.

3. Dedicated Road Safety Boards addressing ALL aspects of road safety should be established.

4. The Road Safety Board should report directly to the Head of State.

5. Countries should implement road safety standards for vehicles and infrastructure.

6. Regular road safety audits and inspections should be made routine.

7. A “Black-spot” remediation program should be implemented.

8. Reliable data collection and management systems must underpin road safety policy.

9. Road safety education should become an integral part of school curriculums.

Related Content

  • Building Road Safety Engineering and Audits Capacity – five day course
    August 21, 2018
    IRF (Geneva), the Tanzania Roads Association (TARA), Tanzania Transportation Technology Transfer (TanT2) Centre and TANROADS are pleased to join hands and to present the International Course on Road Safety Engineering and Audits which will take place at Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 23 to 27 July 2018. This five-day course comprises a wide range of lectures, workshops and an intensive practical hands-on training delivered by experts of international reputati
    Read More
  • IRF Geneva present for the Belt and Road Initiative at the WTC China
    December 18, 2017
    IRF Geneva was one of the key supporting organisations of the World Transport Convention (WTC 2017) held on 4th-6th June 2017 in Beijing, China. Hosted by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and organised by China Highway and Transportation Society (CHTS) the convention had as its theme “Green and Integrated Development through Innovations” and attracted 1,820 papers from all over the world and 5,000 delegates. Kiran Kapila, IRF chairman, delivered a keynote address in the opening
    Read More
  • Creating the conditions for successful deployment of ITS in Iran
    April 6, 2017
    IRF Geneva was one of the supporting partners of the second Iran ITS Congress held in Tehran on 7th – 8th February, 2017. The congress included several high-level speakers Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi, Iranian minister of Roads & Urban Development; Dawoud Keshavarzian, Iranian deputy minister of Roads & Urban Development & president of RMTO; Taghi Mehri, police chief, Traffic Police; Shahram Adamnejad, executive board member & deputy of planning, RMTO; and Nayereh Pirouzbakht, president, Iran National Standards Org
    Read More
  • Tackling road safety in India
    February 7, 2012
    Introducing an Indian business leader committed to combating the 'perfect plague' of deaths on the country's roads
    Read More

Highlighted Content