Global Youth Coalition Member Feature: Mutakwa Sikazwe

1. Where are you connected right now? Tell us about the work you're doing.
Am a civil engineer by professional with three years of experience in road engineering. I graduated from the University of Zambia.

2. How did you first get involved in road safety and how long have you been working in the road safety and sustainable mobility field? 
My interest in road safety began during my final year at university when I undertook an end-of-the-year project study about the implementation of speed enforcement using speed cameras in the city of Lusaka. After completing the study in 2019, I was recruited as a Graduate Road Safety engineer by the Zambia Road Transport & Safety Agency (RTSA). My work includes carrying out road safety audits and road safety inspections on existing roads.

3. Why do you think it's important to include young people in local and global road safety efforts?
Young people are necessary for issues of road safety as they are one of the societies’ most affected parties on the roads due to road crashes. Young people’s voices are a driving force, especially where I live due to the potential for advocacy that is carried out.

4. Why did you join the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety?
I joined the Youth Coalition to be part of the road safety pioneers in Africa. I wish to extend this platform to a lot of young people in my country because there aren’t many global programs available. We all need to address the issues on road safety in Africa by using one voice.

5. What are your opinions about the Youth Coalition’s activities and programs?
The Youth Coalition is timely, up building, and beneficial for youth especially at a time when there is a need to develop the transport sector. The opportunities in the Coalition will bring together more of our fellow youth people to make our voices louder and to make our efforts more impactful.

6. Any messages for those who haven’t joined the Youth Coalition?
I urge my fellow young people out there to join this movement because our efforts matter and as a combined unit, we can address the ever-increasing problems that arise on our roads.