What: Commemoration of the 2025 Africa Road Safety Day

When: Sunday, 16 November 2025, starting from 9:00 am (EAT)

Where: The Adwa Victory Memorial (Adwa Museum), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Who: The commemoration of the 2025 Africa Road Safety Day is organised by the Secretariat of the African Road Safety Observatory (AfRSO) on behalf of the African Union commission (AUC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Logistics of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,  the Ethiopian Road Safety and Insurance Fund Service (RSIFS), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)

Why:

Africa Road Safety Day is commemorated to honor the lives lost and those injured in road traffic crashes while reinforcing the continent’s commitment to safer roads and sustainable mobility. Instituted by the African Union following the 18^th AU Summit decision (EX.CL/Dec.682 (XX)) in January 2012, the Day, observed every third Sunday of November, in alignment with the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, serves as a unifying platform for reflection, advocacy, and collective action. The commemoration underscores the urgent need to address Africa’s disproportionate burden of road traffic fatalities, which account for nearly a quarter of global deaths despite the continent having less than 4% of the world’s vehicle fleet. With pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists—mostly young people—being the most affected, the human, economic, and social costs are immense, draining an estimated 2% of Member States’ GDP annually. Beyond a transport challenge, road safety represents a broader public health and development imperative. As Africa continues to expand its road networks to promote connectivity and regional integration, central to the AU’s Agenda 2063, ensuring safety on these roads is essential to protect lives, safeguard investments, and advance the continent’s vision for inclusive growth and sustainable development.

Objectives:

The overreaching goal is the reduction of road fatalities and serious injuries in Africa, achieved through the implementation of targeted policies and system-wide interventions, such as improved road safety infrastructure, safer vehicle standards, enhanced road-user safety practices, and effective post-crash responses

The commemoration of the 2025 Africa Road Safety Day thus presents a timely opportunity to:

1. Pay tribute to victims of road traffic crashes, their families and communities, and raise awareness;
2. Mobilize renewed action and partnerships with development partners, UN agencies and AU affiliated diplomatic missions under the African Road Safety Action Plan (2021–2030);
3. Reaffirm continental and national commitments to reducing road traffic deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030, coupled with ratification and implementations of the provisions of the African Road Safety Charter;
4. Showcase the AUC’s, UNECA’s, EU’s and AU Member States’ leadership in promoting the Safe System Approach;
5. Promote data-driven decision-making through the work of the African Road Safety Observatory (AfRSO), that is reinforce the harmonisation of road safety data reporting through mini AfRSO indicators;
6. Strengthen partnerships between public bodies, private businesses, NGOs, and community groups to implement evidence-based interventions;

   Expected Outcomes

1. Enhanced visibility and awareness of road safety at continental and national levels;
2. Renewed political commitment and public advocacy for road safety;
3. Strengthened partnerships for road safety between the AUC, EU, UNECA, AU Diplomatic Corps, AU Member States, and development partners;
4. Recognition of the African Road Safety Observatory’s contribution to data-driven policy and monitoring;
5. Public engagement and symbolic remembrance of victims of road crashes.

Participants

The event is expected to bring together a diverse group of participants, including the African Union leadership—comprising the Chairperson, Commissioners, and Directors—members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the AU, and representatives from development partners and UN agencies such as AfDB, WHO, World Bank, JICA, GIZ, USAID, KOICA, ICRC, AFD, UNECA, UNDP, UNICEF, UNEP, and the FIA Foundation. Also in attendance will be officials from Ethiopia’s federal and regional governments, specialized institutions such as RSIFS, AfRSO, and relevant Ethiopian authorities like the ERA and Traffic Police. Civil society organizations, victims’ associations, youth groups, and media representatives, alongside survivors and families of road crash victims, as well as private sector actors including insurance companies and car importers, will also participate.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Information and Communication Directorate (ICD), African Union Commission | E-mail: GamalK@africanunion.org

Ms. Bezayit Eyoel | Information Analyst | Department of Infrastructure and Energy| African Union Commission| E-mail: BezayitE@africanunion.org|