William Lugemwa, Director of the ECA’s Private Sector Development and Finance Division has stated that Africa continues to have the most dangerous roads in the world with the risk of death from road traffic injury being the highest in the continent.
According to him, road safety is now recognized as a development issue and as such, included in the SDGs. To this end, he called on African countries to improve their roads to protect the lives of their citizens.
“The bottom line is that; Africa continues to have the most dangerous roads in the world. The risk of death from road traffic injury being highest on the continent.
“African countries must take the lead in improving the safety of their roads. In doing so, they should share experiences among themselves as good practice exist on the continent. They should also harness the opportunities offered by development partners”.
He made this remarks at an ECA workshop to validate the African Road Safety Action Plan for the Decade 2021-2030. It was under the theme ‘overcoming the challenge of halving road deaths by 2030’.
Private sector involvement in road safety
Meanwhile, Mr. Lugemwa advocated the need to strengthen private sector involvement in road safety in Africa.
“…we should explore ways of bringing together public and private entities in platforms that enable them to make road safety commitments”.
He added that this will help “create communities in which members can share their expertise and actions”. Also, he indicated that digitalization offered opportunities for road safety in Africa. It is envisaged that countries will increasingly use new technology and decision-support systems in managing road safety on the continent.
“This is critical as lack of comprehensive, accurate and updated data constitutes a major hurdle to evidence-base decision making on road safety in Africa. IT systems could help overcome this hurdle”
Mr. Lugemwa assured member States the ECA will continue to support them in addressing these issues. He added that it will work with partners to save lives on Africa’s roads.
African policymakers urged to embrace 30 km/h streets
Meanwhile, Panellist at the workshop called on African policymakers to support the UN campaign to make 30 km/h streets the norm for cities worldwide.
The campaign stresses that low speed streets save lives and are the heart of any community. 30 km/h (20 mph) speed limits where people and traffic mix make for streets that are safe, healthy, green and liveable, in other words, streets for life.
Also, the campaign stresses that 30 km/h streets protect all who use them, especially the most vulnerable. Such people include pedestrians, cyclists, children and older people. They also include people with disabilities. This will prevent road traffic deaths and promoting physical activity.
Risk of death from road traffic injury
Despite efforts at the global and African continental levels, road safety remains a major challenge in Africa. The risk of death from road traffic injury is as high as 26.6 per 100,000. This is higher than 17.0 in South-East Asia and 9.3 per 100,000 people in Europe.
For instance, in Uganda, road crash fatalities rose from 2,597 to 3,503 between 2007 and 2016. This represents an increment of 25.9%. Moreover, 10 people are killed per day in road traffic crashes, the highest in East Africa. Also, 24 people are killed per 100 road crashes in the country.
Similarly, in Cameroon, 16,583 road crashes and 1500 deaths are recorded on average each year. The WHO estimated the risk of road death per 100,000 people at 27.
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