From May to June 2025, the NGO Club des Amis du Monde (CAM) team, Rio Tinto and iRAP carried out a major initiative on the N1 road in the Republic of Guinea: the evaluation of road safety performance for vehicle occupants, cyclists and pedestrians, the evaluation of safety around schools and the training of local teams in road safety assessment.

This was the first star rating of road infrastructure carried out in Guinea.

The assessment was conducted using iRAP Star Ratings protocols. This assessment showed that both user behaviour and the safety level of road infrastructure are of concern and interact jointly in accidents.

The speed counts and measurements are worrying: in fact, in urban areas, motorcycle traffic is very high, up to 85% of the traffic, and, moreover, motorcycles are speeding everywhere, with extremely high speed peaks.

The risk factors observed include, for vehicles and motorcycles:

• Excessive speeds
• Not wearing a helmet
• Serious traumas incurred by motorcycle drivers above 30 km/h and 50 km/h
• The high risk for pedestrians in the event of a collision with a vehicle traveling at speeds above 30 km/h.

The road infrastructure also presents a mixed safety performance, which should lead to cautious behavior on the part of users: in fact, the majority of the sections assessed present high levels of accident risk, particularly for pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists.

Upcoming activities for CAM and Rio Tinto include:

• Local cooperation work with focal points and monitoring committees in all the project prefectures;
• Awareness raising and educational activities in all schools along the road axis;
• Raising awareness among road users, particularly drivers of motorcycle taxis, transport trucks and pedestrians, about risky behavior and the road safety rules to be respected;
• The installation of community signage at critical points identified along the mining corridor and high-traffic roads in partnership with AGUISER;
• The training of 120 community agents dedicated to ongoing awareness-raising in risk areas, particularly around schools, markets, and busy intersections;
• The organization of mobile awareness campaigns (caravans, community radio, street events) to reach a wide audience and reinforce behavioral change;
• Collaboration with transport unions and focal points identified in the project areas and all localities crossed by the corridor, for effective dissemination of prevention messages;
• The establishment of a community information feedback system (suggestion boxes, monitoring committees) to report incidents or malfunctions observed on the roads.

CAM and Rio Tinto Simfer reiterate their messages of caution to all users! Together let’s save lives!

CAM and Rio Tinto Simfer remind all users of the importance of respecting traffic rules. Caution saves lives. Let’s work together for a safer corridor! 

Read more on the project here irap.org/2025/05/first-irap-project-kicks-off-in-guinea/