The African Road Safety Charter entered into force on 12 March 2026. The Charter marks Africa’s first continental and legally-binding road safety framework.
Adopted by African Heads of State in 2016, 15 African Union Member States were required to ratify the Charter and deposit an instrument of ratification at the African Union for it to come into effect. The Republic of Mozambique became the fifteenth country to do this on 11 February 2026.
"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. The Charter's entry into force gives us the legal foundation we need to hold governments accountable and drive real progress,” said Lerato D. Mataboge, African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy.
Road deaths rose by 17% in the decade to 2021 in the WHO African Region, with nearly 250 000 fatalities per year. Several African countries reduced road fatalities in recent years, yet the Region still holds the world’s highest road fatality rate.
The Charter compels signatories to take actions that are in line with the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and African Road Safety Action Plan 2021-2030 which offer guidance for countries to meet the goal of halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2030. These include:
- establishing a national road safety agency to coordinate road safety policy;
- enacting and enforcing laws that meet global best practices on the five key road safety risk factors – speeding, drink-driving, helmet use, seat belt use, and child restraints;
- developing national road crash data systems to inform evidence-based policy;
- investing in safe road infrastructure and vehicle safety standards; and
- strengthening pre-hospital and post-crash emergency care.
“The entry into force of the African Road Safety Charter is a major milestone for Africa. This is exactly the kind of systemic, legally-binding intervention that can help turn the rising number of road deaths around. Rooted in proven solutions, it is a clear commitment to urgent action. We urge all African Union Member States to ratify and implement this landmark Charter,” said Dr Nhan Tran, Head, Violence and Injury Prevention at WHO.
WHO, in support of the African Union Commission and the African Road Safety Observatory, played a key role in the process leading to the Charter's entry into force, advocating at all levels for ratification and implementation, and working with African countries to strengthen road safety legislation, improve data and surveillance systems, develop national road safety strategies, strengthen emergency care systems, and build the capacity of national road safety agencies.
WHO's Global Status Report on Road Safety, the world’s leading road safety data resource, provided the evidence base for the Charter's advocacy, with country profiles giving a clear picture of progress.
The 15 AU Member States that have ratified the Charter and deposited instruments of ratification to date are: Benin, Central African Republic, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.