The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) has proudly announced Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) as the Winner of the 2024 iRAP Gary Liddle Memorial Trophy in Marrakech, Morocco today, presented to the world’s best performing road authority eliminating high-risk roads.

Presented during the Ten Steps to 2030 for Safer Road Infrastructure Side Event of the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, the perpetual iRAP Trophy honours the lifelong public-sector and transport contribution of the charity’s former Board Chairman Gary Liddle AO who passed away in 2023.

Tanzania was the first country in the world to apply the innovative United Nations Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC) Ten Step Plan for Safer Road Infrastructure with TANROADS successfully achieving reductions in road trauma associated with their elimination of high-risk journeys for all road users along the road network under TANROADS jurisdiction across the country. Through the Tanzania Ten Step Plan Project and Tanzania Roads Assessment Programme (TanRAP) TANROADS’ initiative has also built sustainable institutional capacity, impact, and partnerships that continue to identify and eliminate high-risk roads across Tanzania, where it is estimated road crashes claim more than 16,000 people each year.

TANROADS was an instrumental partner in the award-winning Ten Step Tanzania Project jointly funded by the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (UKAid), through the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) of the World Bank.

It saw the expansion of road safety assessments to 10,000 km of roads and bus rapid transit corridors under TANROADS jurisdiction using the IRAP methodology, with results informing evidence-based investment plans for safer road designs and upgrades using national investment as well as through projects financed with the support of the World Bank.

National leadership and capacity in eliminating high-risk roads were reinforced through the launch of the locally led Tanzania Road Assessment Programme (TanRAP) with associated integration with asset management systems and updates to National Road Design Standards/Guidelines, to ensure that they address road safety for all road users. A National Training, Accreditation and Certification Scheme has also been established to support the long-term road safety capacity of engineers in the road sector in Tanzania including TANROADS engineers in the use of road safety audits and the iRAP methodology and tools.

Working together with local and international partners, as well as being one of the key collaborating institutions in establishment and operations of TanRAP, TANROADS continues to support evidence-based policy and investment across the country.  This includes investment in 3-star or better roads for all road users with other leading stakeholders including the Ministry of Works in Tanzania, the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) in Tanzania, the Ministry of Home Affairs in Tanzania, the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA), the Roads Fund Board in Tanzania, the National Institute of Transport (NIT) in Tanzania, the Road Safety Ambassadors (RSA) in Tanzania, the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) in Tanzania, road safety NGOs, mobility clubs and industry.

Among key achievements delivered by the Ten Step Tanzania Project with TANROADS as one of the key collaborating institution were the development of a National Road Infrastructure Safety Strategy and Action Plan, and the revision of the Tanzania Road Geometric Design Manual prioritising the safety of all road users. The embedding of iRAP assessment within TANROAD’s Road Asset Management System (RMMS) will also support the operationalisation of 3-star or better safety across all forms of road investment.

TANROADS under the Ministry of Works in Tanzania is a key stakeholder delivering Tanzania’s new 3-year Road Safety Plan which includes the iRAP Methodology and integration of improved road design and inspection systems with iRAP Certification to improve the safety of the country’s roads.  This institutionalisation and local leadership will ensure the full potential of safer roads to save lives will be realised long into the future reinforcing Gary Liddle’s commitment to public service, impact and sustainability.

In presenting the award, iRAP Global Program Director and Acting CEO Greg Smith said, “The calibre of nominations this year was very high, with TANROADS a standout for its widescale application of the iRAP approach, large scale of mobilised investment focused on all road users, and rapid scaling of partnerships and capacity to save lives. TANROADS’ program demonstrates the innovative world-first implementation of the multi-partner collaborative Ten Step Plan for Safer Road Infrastructure approach. Its effectiveness and transferability is evident today in TANROADS’ achievement and demand for the approach from other countries in the region.”

Accepting the award on behalf of TANROADS, His Excellency Hon. Abdallah Hamis Ulega, Minister of Works in Tanzania said, “We are very proud to receive the iRAP Gary Liddle Memorial Trophy in recognition of TANROADS’ work driving safer roads capacity, policy and infrastructure improvements to reduce the burden of road crash injury in our country. Tanzania was the first country in the world to use the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC) Ten-Step Plan for Safer Road Infrastructure and it has empowered and fast-tracked road safety improvements in our country, setting us in a good position to halve global road deaths and injuries in the country by 2030 aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Ten Step Plan for Safer Road Infrastructure provides a template that can be adopted by any country and implemented in a way that matches the specific local context and needs, to empower safer mobility for all road users.

The iRAP Gary Liddle Memorial Trophy was presented to TANROADS and four finalists during the Ten Steps to 2030 for Safer Road Infrastructure Event, a Side Event of the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety on 17 February 2025.

For more information:

• On the Trophy and 2024 winners, click here.
• On TANROADS road safety program, click here.
• On the award-winning success of Ten Step Tanzania Project, click here.

– Ends –

Download the full media release

Media enquiries:

For iRAP:
Judy Williams, Global Programme and Communications Manager
Mob:     +61 400 782 204
Email:   judy.williams@irap.org

For TANROADS:
Eng. George Daffa, Senior Road Safety Engineer
Email:   George.daffa@tanroads.go.tz