Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. Sierra Leone has officially become the 14th country to ratify the African Road Safety Charter, a legally-binding continental framework that entered into force on 12th March 2026, following ratification by the required 15 African Union member states.
The milestone was achieved under the leadership of James Bagie Bio, Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), with technical support from the Ministry of Transport and Aviation. Sierra Leone deposited its instrument of ratification prior to the Charter’s entry into force.
The Charter, which was adopted by African Heads of State in 2016, required 15 ratifications to become binding international law. The Republic of Mozambique became the fifteenth country to deposit its instrument of ratification on 11th February 2026, triggering the Charter’s entry into force 30 days later.
“This ratification is a strong political statement to preserve human life and advance Africa’s collective vision of safer roads, safer vehicles and safer road users,” said Lerato D. Mataboge, African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy. “The Charter’s entry into force gives us the legal foundation we need to hold governments accountable and drive real progress”.
The Charter sets an ambitious target of reducing road traffic deaths by 50 percent by the year 2030, in line with the UN Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. It focuses on protecting all road users—drivers, passengers, and pedestrians—while strengthening legal and institutional frameworks across member states.
To meet these goals, member states are required to implement robust legislation, enforce strict road safety laws, develop safer infrastructure, ensure high vehicle standards, improve data collection and accident analysis, and enhance emergency response systems.
The intervention comes as road deaths in the WHO African Region rose by 17 percent in the decade leading to 2021, with nearly 250,000 fatalities recorded annually. The Region currently holds the world’s highest road fatality rate.
In alignment with the Charter’s objectives, the SLRSA has rolled out several domestic reforms under Bio’s leadership, who recently marked one year in office. These include the nationwide decentralization of licensing services, allowing motorists across the country to process and obtain driver’s licenses at district offices without traveling to Freetown. The Authority has also introduced digital service platforms to improve accessibility and reduced license processing time to 48 hours.
The SLRSA has strengthened partnerships with key institutions including the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) for drivers’ data synchronization, the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau for quality control of vehicle spare parts, and the National Emergency Medical Service (NEMS) to boost emergency post-crash care and response.
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