Africa Road Safety Charter
The African Road Safety Charter is now in force. It aims to reduce road fatalities by 2030.
Amara Diallo
Senior Africa Correspondent
Introduction to the Charter
The African Road Safety Charter entered into force on 12 March 2026, marking Africa's first continental and legally-binding road safety framework. Adopted by African Heads of State in 2016, the Charter required 15 African Union Member States to ratify and deposit an instrument of ratification at the African Union for it to come into effect.
Key Provisions and Goals
The Charter compels signatories to take actions that are in line with the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and African Road Safety Action Plan 2021-2030. These include establishing a national road safety agency, enacting and enforcing laws on key road safety risk factors, developing national road crash data systems, investing in safe road infrastructure and vehicle safety standards, and strengthening pre-hospital and post-crash emergency care. The goal is to halve road deaths and serious injuries by 2030.
Implementation and Support
The World Health Organization (WHO) played a key role in the process leading to the Charter's entry into force, advocating for ratification and implementation, and working with African countries to strengthen road safety legislation and improve data and surveillance systems. The 15 AU Member States that have ratified the Charter and deposited instruments of ratification to date are: Benin, Central African Republic, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.
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SOURCES & REFERENCES
This article was researched and compiled by the PulseAfrica editorial team using information from international news sources including Reuters, BBC Africa, Al Jazeera, AFP, and local African media outlets. PulseAfrica is committed to accurate, balanced and independent journalism covering all 54 African nations in three languages.
