LUSAKA, June 4– A senior Zambian official on Monday called on African countries to enhance road safety management capacities in order to address the pressing road safety crisis on the continent.
African countries need to come up with long-lasting road safety interventions that will reduce the number of people killed on public roads on the continent, said Minister of Transport and Logistics Frank Tayali.
“Africa faces a daunting road safety challenge, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that over 246,000 lives are lost on the continent each year due to traffic crashes. This alarming statistic not only represents a significant loss of human life, but also imposes substantial economic burdens on African countries, hindering sustainable development efforts across the continent,” he said at a training program in road safety management.
The program, supported by the World Bank, was attended by stakeholders in the transport sector from different African countries.
Tayali said the training program marks a milestone in ensuring safety on African roads and thanked the World Bank for coming up with the program aimed at preserving the lives of people by preventing and reducing road accidents.
The minister also highlighted Zambia’s road safety issues, with the country recording 36,755 road crashes in 2023, resulting in 2,011 deaths and 6,027 serious injuries.
Tayali called for concerted action, saying that road traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities are a public health and development problem not only in Zambia but across the entire African continent.
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