iRAP congratulates Gambia’s Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure and the Gambian Road Safety Committee on their 2020-2030 National Road Safety Strategy with a 3-star or better targets for national highways aligned to UN Global Road Safety Performance Targets 3 and 4.

The policy acknowledges a significant deterioration in road safety in Gambia in recent years, creating a heavy burden on Gambia’s economy and its people.

Based on WHO Data over 600 people die on Gambia’s roads annually and an additional 6,000 people are seriously injured, costing the Gambian people an estimated 7.3% of annual GDP.

The Strategy calls for a methodical approach for strategic projects which build Government and community capacity, tackle high priority safety issues in a sustainable way, and monitor and review progress.

Interim targets set in the policy to achieve a 50% reduction in fatal and serious injuries by 2030 include:

The Strategy aims to achieve these Targets through a number of prioritised strategic directions including:

• Leadership and coordination
• Capacity building
• Data collection and analysis
• Safety led regulatory reform
• Infrastructure focus on pedestrian safety
• Sensitization
• Enforcement
• Post Crash response

iRAP stands ready to support the Gambian Government, local road safety stakeholders and development banks working in the country with the free iRAP methodology, tools, training and programmatic support to achieve 3-star or better highways, strong national capacity for safer road infrastructure, and improved pedestrian safety measures, such as around schools through our Star Rating for Schools Programme.

According to iRAP’s Safety Insights Explorer, improving the safety of Gambia’s road infrastructure by 2030 has enormous potential – the saving of an estimated 267 lives per year and more than 58,700 lives and serious injuries over the 20-year life of treatments with an economic benefit of over USD$720 million to the country’s economy – $15 for every $1 spent.

Header image credit: Isaac Turay, Pixabay