On Friday, September 5, 2025, the African Union (AU) welcomed the Republic of Sierra Leone’s formal deposition of its instruments of ratification for the African Road Safety Charter, bringing the continent one Member State closer to the Charter’s entry into force.
Sierra Leone is now the 14th AU member state to have completed ratification. H.E. Rex Bhonapha, Deputy Minister of Transport and Aviation of the Republic of Sierra Leone, deposited the instruments at AU headquarters. He was accompanied by Hon. Duwai Sellu Lungay, the country’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the African Union. Professor Hajer Gueldich, AU Legal Counsel and Acting Director of Protocol, accepted the documents on behalf of the African Union Commission.
Hon. Bhonapha’s remarks at the handover emphasised Sierra Leone’s commitment to improving road safety throughout the country and across the continent. He recalled Sierra Leone’s pledge to the African Road Safety Observatory team at the Global Ministerial Road Safety Conference in Marrakech, Morocco, in February 2025, to speed up the ratification process. He also stated that Sierra Leone has already begun to implement elements of the Charter on a domestic level, such as establishing a dedicated national road safety lead agency to coordinate and enforce interventions.
Dr. Kamugisha Kazura, Director of Infrastructure and Energy, gave an address on behalf of H.E. Lerato D. Mataboge, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy. Dr. Kazura congratulated Sierra Leone’s government and people on this significant achievement and urged the remaining Member States to follow suit and expedite their own ratification procedures.
“Road safety is not only a transport concern; it is a public health, social, and economic development priority,” said Kazura. “Africa bears a disproportionate burden of road traffic crashes despite having the world’s lowest motorisation rates. The African Road Safety Charter is a critical framework for reducing fatalities and serious injuries, saving lives, and realising Africa’s potential for integration and growth.”
While welcoming the ratification, AU officials emphasised that this is only the first step. To have a meaningful impact, the Charter must be domesticated through national legislation, accompanied by adequate resource allocation, enforcement mechanisms, and dependable data systems for tracking progress. The Director reiterated the AU’s commitment to continued support through the African Road Safety Observatory (AfRSO), an AU-established body dedicated to improving the quality and reliability of road safety data and strengthening Member States’ decision-making capabilities. AfRSO provides technical assistance, best practice guidance, and assists countries in aligning national measures with the provisions of the Charter.
The African Road Safety Charter, adopted by the AU Summit in 2016, establishes a comprehensive continental framework aimed at harmonising policy, legal frameworks, and interventions to reduce road crashes, injuries, and deaths throughout Africa. The Charter’s provisions require 15 AU Member States to deposit instruments of ratification before it can go into full force. With Sierra Leone’s deposit, the total now stands at 14.
The AU urged the remaining Member States to expedite their ratification processes, pointing out that only one more country is required to activate the Charter across the continent. Officials emphasised that the Charter’s true value can only be realised through implementation, which includes passing and enforcing national laws that reflect its standards, establishing and empowering road safety lead agencies, investing in infrastructure and safer vehicles, and using high-quality data to guide interventions and measure outcomes.
The following countries have ratified and deposited instruments of ratification: Benin, Central African Republic, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Niger, Togo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia. The AU and road safety advocates praised Sierra Leone’s action as an encouraging example of how high-level commitments made at international fora, such as the Global Ministerial Road Safety Conference earlier in 2025, can be translated into concrete national actions.
As the focus shifts to which Member State will be the 15th to trigger entry into force, AU officials, civil society, and development partners are expected to step up efforts to support ratification, domestication, and implementation of the Charter. The AU described the initiative as part of a larger effort to save lives, improve public health, and unlock economic and social benefits associated with safer, more sustainable transportation systems across the continent.
