The International Conference on Sustainable Transportation & Smart Innovations (ICTA 2024), held in Arusha, Tanzania, from 29 to 31 July 2024, marked a pivotal moment to discuss the advancement of transportation across Africa. Organised by The Global Transportation Professional Networking Group and hosted by the Ministry of Works in Tanzania, alongside the Tanzania Roads Association (TARA) and the Tanzania Transportation Technology Transfer Centre (TanT2 Centre), the conference set new standards in the sector.

Under the theme “Safe, Smart, and Sustainable Transport Systems for Global Economic Growth,” the conference attracted a wide range of professionals from transport sector bodies, funding agencies, the academia, and international organisations, including the International Road Federation (IRF).

Addressing the distinguished audience during the plenary, Susanna Zammataro, Director General of the International Road Federation (IRF), showcased examples of how IRF is concretely building capacity to drive change and deliver Impact in Africa and beyond. Zammataro outlined outcomes of key road safety initiatives, including the Ten-Step Project in Tanzania, which has significantly enhanced road safety infrastructure and earned the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award. The project’s success is now being extended to Senegal and other countries in the African continent and beyond.

IRF DG mentioned the partnership with the TotalEnergies Foundation, to support and facilitate the engagement of private sector through the formation of Private Sector Road Safety Coalitions. Road safety coalitions have currently been launched in Morocco, Pakistan, Zambia, Tanzania, India, and other regions, fast-tracking collaborative efforts for safer roads.

As to capacity building, the leading efforts of IRF around Road Safety Audits were highlighted. The IRF is training road safety auditors in Tanzania, Uganda, and India for the next three years to improve road infrastructure safety.

The IRF DG spoke about the IRF Innovation Committee and the opportunities it offers to exchange, learn and connect on key areas such as climate and decarbonisation, safety, asset management, and funding resilience, crucial for effective progress and for securing resources.

Finally, a point on data with the release of the IRF World Road Statistics which thanks to support from the TotalEnergies Foundation and Michelin Corporate Foundation, are now available to everyone in open data policy. This has unlocked the way to new collaborations, with IRF data now being used to support various initiatives and institutions.

In her closing remarks, Zammataro highlighted the importance of collaboration and innovation in tackling global transportation challenges. She invited attendees to the IRF World Congress 2024 in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 15 to 18 October 2024, noting, “The theme, ‘Connecting to Empower Mobility: Roads as Enablers of a Sustainable Future for All,’ reflects exactly what our federation does and what roads are meant to achieve.”