Abuja, Nigeria, September 5, 2022. ECOWAS through the Department of Infrastructure, Energy & Digitalization is organizing a regional sensitization workshop on the implementation of the new ECOWAS Road Safety Policy, Action Plan and Charter in Accra, Ghana from 8 – 9 September 2022. The new ECOWAS Road Safety Policy, Charter, Action Plan, and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Framework prepared by the Directorate of Transport Infrastructure Department under its Transport Governance for West Africa Technical Assistance Project, was approved at the 60th summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government on 12th December 2021.

The framework documents will provide a harmonized platform for ECOWAS and Member States to better coordinate actions towards the reduction of fatalities on our national and regional road corridors. The intervention also constitutes ECOWAS’ response to the United Nations Second Decade of Action for Road Safety with the global goal to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50 per cent by 2030. With this new Policy and Charter, the Commission wishes to intensify its work with Member States and Development Partners to achieve improve road safety in the region, which is one of the major themes and key activities planned under the ECOWAS Transport Governance Technical Assistance Project, being financed jointly through the Cooperation Agreement with the European Union and counterpart funding from ECOWAS.

Participants expected at the 2-day physical workshop will include related Directorates of the ECOWAS Commission, road safety experts from Ministries and Agencies of Member States and Key Partners such as African Union, UNECA, AfDB, SSATP-World Bank, Africa Road Safety Organization (ARSO) and the West African Federation of Engineering Organizations.

A major expected output of the workshop will be an updated Regional Action Plan with milestones, targets and deadlines for activities to be achieved at the regional level by ECOWAS and partners, as well as Member States and Civil Society actors.