The CAM and Rio Tinto project team

From May 5 to 15, iRAP Accredited expert Mr Charles Lowan Bonou joined the NGO Club des Amis du Monde (CAM) team to conduct the first ever iRAP assessment in Conakry, Guinea. Supported by Rio Tinto, the project will assess 250km of the National Road 1 corridor from Conakry to Mamou, and two schools, with the aim of improving road safety in the West African country.

According to the iRAP Safety Insights Explorer, road crashes claim more than 5,060 deaths and 52,500 more injuries each year in Guinea at a cost of USD$1.4 billion.

Over 90% of Guinea’s transport relies on roads, yet the country has the highest road traffic mortality rate in Africa (47.49 deaths per 100,000 population, WHO 2021).

The initiative is made possible thanks to CAM’s partnership with Rio Tinto and its commitment to improving road safety along the corridor and the N1, N2, and N4 national roads.

A total of 10 CAM team members completed iRAP online training in advance of the field assessments.

Activities of the week included:

• Practical training on the iRAP and Star Rating for Schools methodology;
• Surveys and inspections of 250 km of roads and the two schools to record road attributes, location, speed, and traffic flow data;
• Road attribute coding using iRAP’s VIDA software; and
• Preparation of Star Ratings and Safer Road Investment Plans prioritising evidence-based countermeasures to improve road safety.

A road safety assessment was conducted onsite, supported by desktop coding and processing of the results using ViDA

An event presenting the results and recommended countermeasures is planned at the end of the mission.

The Club des Amis du Monde team, now trained and supported, will complete further iRAP assessments as part of the partnership program with Rio Tinto, covering approximately 1,000 km of roads and schools located near the highway.

This exciting first initiative in Guinea demonstrates the positive impact that private and non-profit sector partnerships can have on communities, leading to safer, more inclusive, and more sustainable roads.

iRAP sincerely thanks Club des Amis du Monde, its President Mr Boubacar Sylla, and his entire team for its commitment, as well as Rio Tinto and the Chinese company Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS), led by Mr Guillaume Rey.

This evaluation will lay an important foundation for the community road safety program and a reduction in road deaths and serious injuries in the country.

Achieving UN Target 4 for more than 75% of travel to be on 3-star or better roads by 2030, stands to save more than 1,700 lives and 390,000 lives and injuries each year in Guinea with an economic benefit of $465.4 million, a benefit of $6.90 for every 1 spent.

Project images credit: CAM

Read more on Charles Bonou’s experience as an iRAP Accredited Practitioner here.