In a historic milestone, the African Road Safety Charter entered into force on 12 March. It marks Africa’s first continental and legally-binding road safety framework and aims to reduce the staggering 250,000 road deaths incurred annually.

Adopted by African Heads of State in 2016, 15 African Union Member States were required to ratify the Charter and deposit an instrument of ratification at the African Union for it to come into effect. The Republic of Mozambique became the fifteenth country to do this on 11 February 2026.

Road deaths rose by 17% in the decade to 2021 in the WHO African Region. Several African countries reduced road fatalities in recent years, yet the Region still holds the world’s highest road fatality rate.

iRAP assessments shed light on the safety of Africa’s roads; only 17 per cent of road infrastructure (by length) rates the global minimum safety standard of 3-star or better for pedestrians, 15 per cent for bicyclists, 29 per cent for motorcyclists and 38 per cent for vehicle occupants.

Safer roads alone, through the achievement of UN Target 4 (for greater than 75 per cent of travel to be on 3-star or better roads for all road users by 2030), stand to save an estimated 98,265 lives each year, and over 56 million lives and injuries over the 20-year life of road treatments in Africa. This comes with an annual economic benefit of US$52.4 billion – $9.90 for every $1 spent (iRAP Safety Insights Explorer).

H.E. Lerato D. Mataboge Mataboge, Commissioner for the African Union: Infrastructure and Energy said, “The ratification of the African Road Safety Charter is more than a legal milestone – it is a strong political statement to preserve human life and advance Africa’s collective vision of safer roads, safer vehicles, and safer road users.”

The Charter compels signatories to take actions that are in line with the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and African Road Safety Action Plan 2021-2030 which offer guidance for countries to meet the goal of halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2030. These include:

• establishing a national road safety agency to coordinate road safety policy;
• enacting and enforcing laws that meet global best practices on the five key road safety risk factors – speeding, drink-driving, helmet use, seat belt use, and child restraints;
• developing national road crash data systems to inform evidence-based policy;
• investing in safe road infrastructure and vehicle safety standards; and
• strengthening pre-hospital and post-crash emergency care.

iRAP is well positioned to support countries in its implementation:

• Safer roads: Articles 11, 12, 13 and 14 of the Charter require road safety inspections; the development of road safety management policies; the introduction of legislation, policies and guidelines for Road Safety Audits in all phases of design, construction and operation of road infrastructure; safe road design manuals and practices aligned to international standards; and for the needs of vulnerable road users to be met in the planning, design and provision of road infrastructure.
• Improved Data: Article 20 requires the coordination of national road safety data collection, and monitoring and evaluation of progress at national levels.
• Capacity Building: Article 20 also requires State Parties to build national capacity for road safety and data management.
• Improved Road Safety Management: Article 4 requires the establishment of legally mandated road safety lead agencies to provide policy advice and coordinate the formulation and implementation of road safety strategies.

iRAP Safer Journeys Lead Nathalie Chiavassa said, “The ratification of the African Road Safety Charter is a momentous step forward in the collective effort to reduce road traffic fatalities across Africa. Critical work now begins as we look to implement it at national and local levels and iRAP stands ready to support partners with the free methodology, tools, data, training and accredited experts to make their roads and streets safer.”

iRAP is already supporting over 1,500 African organisations in systematic road infrastructure safety management, providing evidenced-based tools, data, policy guidance and training for planning, designing and monitoring the performance of safer roads.

The new iRAP model launching in May will support improved risk assessment, particularly for vulnerable road users, and the Road Safety Performance Tracking Manual will empower African partners in meeting monitoring requirements.

iRAP Partners’ Impact in Africa

iRAP partners in Africa have already achieved significant safer roads’ impact across the continent with nearly 125,000km of road safety assessments conducted in 29 countries, including around 395 schools, influencing the safety of over US$7.3 billion of infrastructure investment.

Safer roads advocacy, investment and policy is being influenced through capacity building in 43 countries, and the inclusion of 3-star or better Star Rating targets in the Road Safety Strategies and Action Plans of Eswatini, Gambia, Kenya, Limpopo (South Africa), Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and UNECA’s Road Safety Plan for Africa.

iRAP’s partnerships with key agencies such as the West African Road Safety Organisation (WARSO), African Road Maintenance Fund Association (ARMFA), African Road Safety Observatory (AfRSO), SSATP, development banks and others are helping to scale impact.

David Niyonsenga, Road Safety Expert for the African Road Safety Observatory (AfRSO) said, “The African Road Safety Charter provides a crucial framework to accelerate progress, but its success will depend on strong national implementation supported by robust data and coordination. The African Road Safety Observatory (AfRSO) stands ready to assist countries in translating this ambition into measurable results, through supporting the improvement of data systems, by producing road safety performance indicators, and by capacity-building and sharing of knowledge. This is a key opportunity to turn evidence into action and save lives at scale.”

“Partnerships have never been more vital as we work alongside the African Union, AfRSO and other stakeholders to turn the vision of safer roads, vehicles, and users into a tangible reality, supporting the AU 2063 Agenda for inclusive and sustainable transport,” Ms Chiavassa said.

“I am incredibly proud of the dedication and collaboration shown by our partners. Their commitment to improving road safety through data-driven solutions and the implementation of safer infrastructure is making a real difference. Together, we are paving the way for a future where every African road is safer for everyone – whether they are pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists or vehicle occupants,” she said.

The 15 AU Member States that have ratified the Charter and deposited instruments of ratification to date are: Benin, Central African Republic, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.

For more information

• See the Charter here.
• Read more on iRAP impact in Africa and connect with our team for support here.
• For data insights, explore the human and economic impact of road crashes in Africa, how safe each countries roads are, the road attributes that matter, and the Business Case for Safer Roads by visiting iRAP’s Safety Insights Explorer here and filtering to the Region of Africa or individual countries.