A united approach called for safer roads through the African Road Safety Charter

On a continent where road accidents are claiming lives at an alarming rate, experts and policy makers are highlighting the potential of the African Road Safety Charter. Adopted by members of the African Union (AU) in January 2016, the Charter provides a common framework for strengthening road safety measures across Africa.

At the eighth Africa Infrastructure Development Program Week, held from 25 to 29 November at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, ensuring safer road infrastructure was a central subject guided by the principles of the African Road Safety Charter.

The Charter, composed of 31 articles, presents essential provisions for the development and implementation of road safety policies and strategies adapted to the unique challenges of the continent. These include building safer roads, classifying roads according to their use, enforcing minimum vehicle safety standards and implementing strict road safety legislation on speed limits , drunk driving and the use of safety equipment.

However, more than eight years after its creation, only 12 countries have ratified the Charter, far from the minimum threshold of 15 ratifications for it to enter into force. Experts and policymakers say slow progress poses significant risks, as the number of road deaths in Africa has increased by 17 percent since 2010, contrasting with the global trend where the number of road deaths Road accidents have declined by 5 percent since 2010, according to a recent United Nations (UN) study. report.

ALARMING REALITY OF ROAD SAFETY IN AFRICA

Binta Sako, technical lead for violence and injury prevention at the World Health Organization (WHO) for Africa, told Xinhua in a recent interview that Africa bears a disproportionate share of deaths on roads around the world, highlighting the severity of the problem, especially given the continent’s limitations. health infrastructure which aggravates the devastating toll of road accidents.

Despite accounting for 15 percent of the world’s population and owning just 3 percent of the world’s automobile fleet, the African continent accounted for a fifth of the world’s road deaths, according to the latest WHO situation report. on road safety in Africa. The report notes that Africa continues to have the most perilous roads in the world, putting immense pressure on the continent’s economy and public health systems. In 2021 alone, nearly 250,000 lives were lost on African roads.

Sako stressed that Africa’s road safety crisis transcends statistics, describing it as “an urgent human tragedy” that demands targeted interventions. She highlighted the brutal nature of road accidents, which result in devastating losses for families and communities grappling with long-term emotional and economic repercussions.

No country in Africa currently has laws that meet best practice standards for the five main behavioral risk factors for road safety – speeding, drink-driving, non-use of motorcycle helmets, seat belts and child restraints – say experts and policy makers. the African Road Safety Charter as an essential framework to address these challenges and promote safer roads across the continent.

UNIFIED APPROACH TO ROAD SAFETY

The AU Assembly, made up of African heads of state and government, adopted the 31-article charter as a framework to strengthen road safety across the continent. Upon its adoption, African leaders expressed “deep concern” over the “exceedingly high” rate of road accidents and their substantial socio-economic impact, with costs close to 2 percent of gross national product ( GDP), according to the AU.

According to Amani Abou-Zeid, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, the adoption of the Charter reflects a growing political will to save lives on Africa’s roads. However, more than eight years later, it has not reached the necessary ratification threshold.

With Namibia becoming the first country to ratify the charter in February 2019, the other 11 African countries to follow suit are Benin, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal , Eswatini, Togo and Uganda.

Experts say that the ratification of the charter, which will ultimately lead to its effective implementation, is essential for the implementation of a coherent continental road safety framework likely to contribute to reducing road accidents. They mainly attributed the slow progress in ratifying the Charter to an apparent lack of understanding of the scale of road safety challenges in Africa and limited political commitment.

Placide Badji, economic affairs officer at the connectivity and infrastructure development division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, said road safety challenges are becoming a persistent public health problem across the Africa, concerted efforts and sufficient resources are required to allocate to the road safety program at national, regional and continental levels.

“What we have realized is that most countries on the continent do not even have the basics of road safety,” Badji told Xinhua in a recent interview, emphasizing the crucial importance of the charter as it provides a unified framework for road safety protocols. “Political commitment is the first challenge. There seems to be a lack of understanding of the scale of the problem — how it hampers countries’ GDP, as well as their social and economic development.”

LEARNING FROM EARLY ADOPTERS

Despite these challenges, promising examples from early adopters of the African Road Safety Charter highlight its potential as a transformative framework. Ethiopia, among the first to ratify the charter, considers it essential to improving road safety management.

Although Ethiopia’s per capita motorization rate is low, fatal road accidents remain common, often linked to reckless driving, weak road safety systems and inadequate enforcement of safety rules. Experts believe that full implementation of the charter can complement national legislation and address systemic challenges at national and continental levels.

Yohannis Lemma, Director General of Road Safety Education and Capacity Building at the Ethiopia Road Safety and Insurance Fund Service, stressed that understanding the economic, social and psychological impacts of road accidents is essential to accelerate the rapid implementation of the charter.

“In order to address Africa’s road traffic challenges in a practical and meaningful way, countries must develop a common platform that can be used as a policy guideline. Therefore, the adoption and implementation of the African Road Safety Charter is an important step in assessing progress and gaps related to road safety at a broader continental level,” said Lemma.

Although Kenya has not yet signed or ratified the charter, efforts are underway to move the process forward. Duncan Kibogong, deputy director of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) in charge of road safety, told Xinhua that active efforts were underway to complete the necessary steps for ratification.

Highlighting the need for collaboration with various agencies to expedite the adoption of the charter, Kibogong said concerted efforts are underway to facilitate the charter ratification process, involving multiple reviews and approvals by relevant agencies. He said such structured processes are essential to ensure the charter is fully integrated into national policy.

CALL FOR CONCERTED EFFORTS FOR SAFER ROADS

Bright Oywaya’s story is a poignant reminder of the devastating human and socio-economic toll of Africa’s road safety crisis. After a road accident left her permanently wheelchair-bound 27 years ago, Oywaya became a passionate advocate, dedicating her life to raising awareness of road safety and its far-reaching impact on victims and their families.

As a road safety advocate in Kenya and former vice-president of the NTSA, Oywaya called for a paradigm shift, urging governments and stakeholders to view road safety as an essential investment rather than an expense.

“Improving road safety is not just about regulation, it is also about saving lives and fostering healthier communities. Every life lost and every resource damaged due to road accidents represents untapped potential and a tragedy that can be avoided,” Oywaya said.

Patrick Kinyanjui of the Global NGO Alliance for Road Safety in Africa recognized the critical role of civil society organizations in promoting ratification of the charter by AU members, citing Senegal’s recent milestone as the newest AU member to deposit its instrument of ratification with the AU Commission in September 2023.

Stressing that more efforts are needed to amplify the importance of the charter and highlight the road safety crisis in Africa, Kinyanjui stressed the importance of supporting the AU in raising awareness on this problem and working in collaboration to improve the socio-economic conditions of Africa’s 1.4 billion people.