A World Bank-funded project has commenced in Togo to improve the road safety of the Lomé-Cinkassé section of the Lomé – Ouagadougou – Niamey Economic Corridor (PCE-LON) in Africa, supported by FRED Engineering and the iRAP methodology,

It is part of a USD$470 million development project to improve regional connectivity and socio-economic community infrastructure connecting the capital cities of Togo, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

Road insecurity is a significant challenge in Togo, which currently has one of the highest road mortality rates in Africa.

By working alongside the Ministry of Road, Air, and Rail Transport (MTRAF) and the PCE-LON Project Management Unit, the FRED Engineering team and iRAP Accredited Practitioner Ahmed Ksentini will directly contribute to the Togolese government’s Togo 2025 Roadmap, which aims to modernize the country and affirm it as a logistics and services hub in the sub-region.

The project specifically involves:

• Road Safety Inspection and Audit: Performing a quality inspection and audit of the entire Lomé-Cinkassé corridor (approximately 900 km, including the Sokodé, Alédjo mountains, and Kara bypasses).
• Socio-economic and Behavioural Diagnostic: Conducting an in-depth diagnostic of road safety across Togo, focusing on major factors contributing to insecurity, user behaviour, and their role in crashes.
• Action Plan Development: Proposing proactive and corrective actions, including an investment program aligned with the Safe System Approach for the corridor over five
• Capacity Building: Training 10 public administration officials in road safety auditing and inspection.

Ahmed Ksentini said, “It’s great to get onsite and start the road safety inspection. The corridor project is applying internationally recognised road safety assessment practices, including iRAP-based risk analysis and star-rating concepts, to support Safe System objectives during implementation.”

The project aims to deliver actionable recommendations and help Togo achieve the PCE-LON project’s ambitious goal of reducing road traffic collision fatalities by 50 per cent.

According to iRAP’s Safety Insights Explorer, achieving UN Target 4 for greater than 75% of travel on 3-star or better roads for all road users in Togo by 2030 stands to save an estimated 866 lives each year and 355,529 lives and injuries over the 20-year life of road treatments with an economic benefit of USD$215.7 million – $20.60 for every $1 spent.