…On The African Charter On Road Safety
By Saidu Dumbuya
The Ministry of Transport and Aviation in collaboration with Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) on Wednesday, 4th June, 2025, held a one day pre-ratification engagement with the Legislative Committee on the African Charter on Road Safety.
The meeting was held at the Speaker’s office in Parliament, Tower Hill in Freetown.
Giving a brief historical context and justification of the Charter, the SLRSA’s Company Secretary Abu Bakarr Sheriff said, road traffic injury and death rate are highest in Africa accounting for 4% of global vehicles, but records 24% world roads’ fatalities.
He said the African Road Safety Charter was adopted at the
26th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU)
Assembly held in Addis Ababa on 31st January, 2016.
Speaking on the main objectives of the Charter, Mr. Sheriff explained that the Charter serves as a policy framework for road safety improvement in Africa; and an advocacy tool and instrument for road safety improvement on the continent aimed at facilitating the creation of an enabling environment to drastically reduce road traffic crashes.
Addressing the specific objectives, CS Sheriff noted that it facilitates the formulation of a comprehensive Road Safety Policy at country level, enhance implementation of national, regional and continental Road Safety programmes.
He maintained that it also enhances road safety coordination on the continent, inspires private sector, CSOs, NGOs participation in road safety activities, and promotes data collection, harmonization, utility and dissemination.
Shedding light on the current status of Sierra Leone, Mr. Sheriff stated that the country is among the 22 member countries that is signatory to the charter but not yet ratified and that 13 countries have already ratified.
“The country has to ratify the Charter to become a member,” he revealed.
Ratification and depositing of Instruments of Ratification by 15 AU member states is required for the Charter to enter into force. Once the Charter has entered into full force, it would trigger the establishment and operationalization of the African Road Safety Observatory (ARSO).
He stressed that African Road Safety Observatory
(ARSO) shall foster cooperation among member states to generate credible data on road safety in Africa, serve as a political and technical forum to discuss mobility and safety issues, policies and strategies to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries.
According to him, since January, 2025, ARSO is now fully integrated into the AU Commission under the Department of Infrastructure and Energy. Road Safety Lead Agency leaders Benin, Cameroon, Kenya, Morocco,
Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda are part of the Transitional Steering Committee.
Addressing SLRSA officials present, the Chairman of the Legislative Committee, Hon. Abdul Maray Conteh thanked the team for putting the document together underscoring that they as Parliament, will ratify the document but expressed worries over the implementation of the said document after ratification.
Deputy leader of the opposition All People’s Congress, Hon Daniel Koroma said the move by SLRSA to ratify the Charter is a laudable venture, maintaining that it is not controversial.
He urged the leadership of SLRSA to partner with Emergency Hospital to help them attend to critical emergency cases.
Hon. Bilor Shaw a member of the Committee also thanked SLRSA for the steps in trying to meet its international obligations by making frantic efforts to ratify this Charter.
He however urged them to make strides to ensure they have a special court for minor traffic offences.
Other Committee members shared similar sentiments that the Charter is not controversial and that they are ready to ratify it.
