iRAP was delighted to participate in an important workshop of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety in February.

The SADC Alliance of NGOs is a voluntary not-for-profit association which aims to establish a networking platform, coordinate regional road safety activities, build local capacity and act as the voice of NGOs operating within the Southern African Region to advance road safety. The Alliance comprises 17 NGOs representing 11 of the 16 SADC Member States.

iRAP’s Minh Vo and Shanna Lucchesi presented on Star Rating for Schools, CycleRAP  and the Youth Engagement App (YEA), and shared important data and insights to support NGO members to advance the safety of walking and cycling in their countries.

SADC members are working to encourage their governments, local authorities and road safety stakeholders to commit to eliminating high-risk roads and the iRAP methodology, tools and training provide valuable evidence-based support for this.

iRAP Safer Journeys Lead for Africa Nathalie Chiavassa said, “SADC is a Regional Economic Community that aims to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development in member countries. (Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe)

“NGOs perform a vital role lobbying for and implementing road safety initiatives in their communities. They are often set up by everyday citizens responding to the needs they see around them. They can fill government gaps by providing immediate solutions, or they can influence decision making through advocacy and education.

“We are really proud to support the SADC Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety and the mobilisation and empowerment of member efforts based on the evidence of what works for making roads safer,” Ms Chiavassa said.

For more information

• On the SADC Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, click here.
• On the human impact of road crashes, how safe the roads are and the Business Case for Safer Roads in SADC member countries, click here.
• For recent news of iRAP activities in Africa, click here.