Africa Road Safety Seminar: Advocacy in Road Safety

8 October 2024, Nairobi, Kenya - The Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), Kenya Red Cross Society, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) organised the Africa Road Safety Seminar that served as a “flagship event on the road safety calendar” in the region. 

The Seminar ran for two days and had a full agenda that revolved around the current road safety conversation which encouraged participants and other stakeholders to delve into discussions around effective, evidence-based interventions that can respond to the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 through local initiatives in the African Region. 

The Youth Coalition was represented by Local Actions winner Mary Ubungu who joined a session titled “Engaging Youth with Sustainable Mobility.” The session explored the challenges and opportunities faced by youth on the world’s roads.

Through her intervention, Mary participated in dialogues on innovative strategies for engaging young people in road safety, particularly as advocacy leaders.

She reiterated how youth are often the most impacted when it comes to road traffic crashes and invited participants to meaningfully engage with youth to address these issues. She spoke about how organisations like the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety have buckled down and provided youth with the tools and resources they need to become effective leaders and advocates.

Supporting the need for advocacy initiatives, participants also talked about the importance of accurate data gathering that would better inform road safety policies and interventions, strengthening the foundation of proposed strategies. The Seminar also covered topics on the Safe Systems Approach and how stakeholders needed to get involved in collaborations to create holistic and sustainable road safety solutions. 

The space was an opportunity for young leaders were able to connect with decision-makers and show them firsthand how young people are leading the change for road safety and sustainable mobility. Stakeholders in attendance included representatives from the Government Ministries and National Lead Agencies in Kenya, Development Banks, Roac Policing Agencies, Research Institutions, and Road Safety-Focused Civil Societies.

“Safe, accessible, and sustainable mobility remains central to Africa’s development agenda and being part of this conversation was an incredible honor, and I am motivated more than ever to push for innovative, data-centered, and inclusive road safety practices in Africa. This opportunity has been both inspiring and energising, reminding me of the power that youth voices hold in transforming road safety across the continent” - Mary Ubungu