We are delighted to announce the signing of a Three-Party Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Road Safety Insurance Fund Service (RSIFS), la Ethiopian Roads Administration (ERA), and the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries in Ethiopia.
The partnership marks an important milestone to eliminating high-risk roads in the country.
Selon Données de l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé, road crashes claimed 21,258 lives in 2021 and more than 200,000 more injuries, at a cost of US$5.1 billion to Ethiopia’s economy – 5.1 per cent of GDP. The cost to families and communities is immeasurable.
Tigistu Amasalu, Deputy CEO of RSIFS said, ” We are pleased to announce this partnership, an important milestone towards establishing EthiopiaRAP and strengthening the application of internationally recognized road infrastructure safety assessment tools and best practices in Ethiopia. Together, RSIFS, ERA, and iRAP are affirming their commitment to reduce road traffic injury and create safer roads for all road users.”
The collaboration will focus on capacity building, institutional strengthening, technical integration of iRAP methodologies, and the official launch of EthiopiaRAP to support safer and more sustainable road infrastructure.
iRAP’s Safer Journeys Lead for Africa Nathalie Chiavassa said, “This Memorandum of Understanding marks an important milestone in Ethiopia’s road safety journey. By bringing together the leadership of RSIFS, ERA and iRAP, we are laying the foundations for coordinated and evidence-based strategic action for safer journeys, especially for vulnerable road users.”
Selon Explorateur d'informations sur la sécurité de l'iRAP, achieving UN Target 4 for greater than 75% of travel on 3-star or better roads for all road users in Ethiopia by 2030 stands to save an estimated 9,385 lives each year and over 2 million fatalities and injuries over the 20-year life of road treatments with an economic benefit of US$2.2 billion – $11.80 for every $1 spent.
Furthermore, iRAP is working with the African Road Safety Observatory to build road safety capacity in Ethiopia and across the continent.
This week Wouter Van den Berghe, from the African Road Safety Observatory, a highly experienced road safety expert and consultant with several years of international experience, visited the Transport and Road Safety Research Team at the Ethiopian Roads Administration (ERA) Road Research Centre.
ERA expressed thanks to iRAP’s Safer Journeys Lead for Africa, Nathalie Chiavassa, for facilitating the introduction.
We look forward to working with ERA, RSIFS and all Ethiopian road safety stakeholders to together, advance road safety in the country.
Wouter Van den Berghe from the African Road Safety Observatory with the Transport and Road Safety Research Team at the Ethiopian Roads Administration (ERA) Road Research Centre
Images credit: Top image – Abenezer Muluken, Pexels; Above – ERA