New Guide to Empower Creation of Road Safety Data Coalitions in Africa
Geneva, 14 September, 2023— Today, the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety (the Alliance) and the International Road Federation (IRF), with the support of the TotalEnergies Foundation program, are pleased to release the LEARN Guide, a new resource of information and support to empower road safety advocates globally.
The LEARN (Learn, Examine, Act, Replicate, Network) programme has already undergone successful piloting and implementation in six African countries (Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia). The initiative has led to the formation of coalitions in each country, bringing together NGOs, government, and other stakeholders. Using a data-driven approach, these coalitions tackle specific road safety challenges and solutions, including 30 km/h zones and crash investigation, among others.
The guide enables NGOs and other road safety stakeholders to set up their own LEARN coalitions, benefiting from the tools and learning experiences of existing ones. Structured in six straightforward steps, coupled with templates and advice, its main objective is to enhance road safety data collection and management in African countries and to contribute towards halving the estimated 744 deaths resulting from road crashes on African roads every day according to WHO data.
Road safety data management is one of the areas highlighted in both the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 (Global Plan) and the African Road Safety Charter. The need for multi-stakeholder collaboration has been highlighted as key to improving road safety data, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Lotte Brondum, Executive Director of the Alliance, said, “NGOs can play a pivotal role in supporting their governments to achieve a 50% reduction in road deaths and injuries. The Global Plan tasks civil society with augmenting the evidence base and bringing the perspectives of communities. This guide is equipping NGOs in Africa to do just that. We are delighted to work with IRF on this important programme and thank TotalEnergies for providing financial support to make it possible.”
Susanna Zammataro, Director General of IRF, said, “Road safety decision-making must be based on evidence and data, but sometimes specific, contextual data is not available. Through the formation of powerful multi stakeholders’ coalitions, LEARN is not only helping to address this gap, but building also capacity at different levels and strengthening action in Africa by enhancing collaboration and coordination.”
Olivier Rabier, Program Director, TotalEnergies Foundation, said, “Safety is at the heart of TotalEnergies’ values. LEARN seamlessly aligns with our unwavering commitment to supporting effective responses to society's challenges. The initiative is equipping civil society organisations and government policy-makers to work together and to use data to make good road safety decisions that can help save lives on Africa's roads.”
About the International Road Federation (IRF)
The International Road Federation (IRF) is a global, independent and not-for-profit organisation with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Active since 1948, IRF is a membership-based organisation, representing leading corporate and institutional players drawn from the road and mobility sectors worldwide. Operating in more than 130 countries in the world, IRF’s mission is to promote the development of road networks that enable access and sustainable mobility for all. Its approach is centred on key strategic components of knowledge transfer & information sharing, connecting people, businesses, and organisations, and working on policy & advocacy.
About the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety
The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety (the Alliance) represents more than 300 member NGOs working in road safety and safe mobility from 100-plus countries around the world. The Alliance is a registered nonprofit organization and is the platform for NGOs worldwide to share knowledge and collectively advocate for road safety and the rights of victims of road traffic crashes. The Alliance provides services to its members in three key areas: 1) a strong network 2) advocacy and accountability, and 3) capacity building.
About TotalEnergies
TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable, and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in nearly 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.
About the TotalEnergies Foundation program
The TotalEnergies Foundation program brings together the public-interest initiatives carried out every day worldwide by TotalEnergies and its affiliates. Through the program, TotalEnergies aims to contribute to the vitality of its host communities and regions, with a special focus on young people. The Company works alongside partners in four priority areas: Inclusion & Education; Road Safety; Climate, Coastal Areas & Oceans; and Cultural Dialogue & Heritage. It mobilizes also its employees by giving them the opportunity to devote up to three days of their working time each year to public-interest initiatives. TotalEnergies Foundation hence contributes to the Company’s citizenship engagement.
www.fondation.totalenergies.com
LEARN Project paves its way through three more countries in Africa
In 2019, the International Road Federation (IRF) and the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety launched an initiative called “LEARN” (Learn, Examine, Apply, Replicate, Network), with the aim to enhance the data knowledge, skills, and actions of a selected group of road safety professionals and stakeholders via a hands-on, real-time and contextual capacity development process in African countries.
The program uses multi-sectoral coalitions in each country, co-ordinated by a local NGO and involving government officials, academics, police, private sector, and anyone involved in the implementation of safer roads. Through LEARN, each coalition is equipped to use data more effectively for road safety planning and implementation and is tasked with building a joint action plan. Using the action plan, the coalitions implement a data-driven pilot project, defined by the coalition. The coalition collects data that it uses to recommend interventions, jointly seeks funding, and implements them.
After the pilot countries Kenya and Senegal, over the past months, the LEARN Project has been introduced also in Uganda, Cameroon, and Zambia through an interactive data workshop built around the specific needs of each country and during which the multi-sectoral coalitions are formed. In the case of Uganda, for example, the coalition is looking into ways to improve overall the crash data collection processes in the country.
The long-term objective is to support the creation of a multi-stakeholder community in the respective countries to improve road safety policy and action. Once the workshop is completed, mentoring from IRF and the Global Alliance continues to ensure support to the country coalitions moving there the first steps and by ensuring they connect to other ongoing processes and initiatives in the country and Africa as a whole.
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LEARN Project kicks off in Uganda
Improving road safety is a key development priority for Africa and for Uganda. Despite comparatively low motorisation levels, the continent witnessed the world’s highest rate of road traffic fatalities. This pandemic calls on all of us to step up our efforts.
The LEARN Project was introduced in Uganda on 22 –23 June 2021 during a virtual training course under the theme "Partnership for Road Safety Data". The workshop was organised by IRF and the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety with the support the Total Energies Foundation and coordinated locally by the Uganda Road Accident Reduction Network Organization (URRENO).
While building data-related knowledge and skills, participants familiarised themselves with a range of tools and techniques that can help drive change and communicate a robust road safety message. One of the primary objectives of the LEARN training is, in fact, to increase awareness about the fundamental role of data to deliver effective solutions. Initiatives targeted at reducing road fatalities need to be supported by up-to-date and precise data in order to set the right targets as well as to measure and monitor progress and achievements.
What is the LEARN Project?
The International Road Federation (IRF) and the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety launched an initiative called “LEARN” (Learn, Examine, Apply, Replicate, Network), with the aim to enhance the data knowledge, skills, and actions of a selected group of road safety professionals and stakeholders via a hands-on, real-time and contextual capacity development process in African countries.
The long-term objective is to support the creation of a multi-stakeholder community in the respective countries to improve road safety policy and action. Once the course is completed, mentoring continues to support the first steps of the participants by connecting them to other ongoing processes and initiatives in the country and Africa as a whole.
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Phase 2 of the LEARN project kicks off in Senegal
The Global Alliance of Road Safety NGOs and the IRF have kicked off the second phase of the LEARN project in Senegal thanks to support from the Total Foundation. Stakeholders from local government, NGOs, road agencies and the civil society took part in a two-day workshop on data and road safety. The training took place on 13th and 14th April 2021 and focused on practical guidance and support to the Senegal multi-stakeholder coalition formed during the phase 1 of the LEARN project.
The LEARN project aims at enhancing the knowledge, skills and actions of a selected group of road safety professionals and stakeholders via hands-on trainings in African countries. Participants invited to take part in this project are selected based on their expertise and fundamental role in road safety, transport infrastructure and education. The initial step of this project consists in the provision of training on data to familiarise the key stakeholders with the tools, techniques and skills necessary to assess the issues related to road safety. The long-term objective is the creation of multi-stakeholder coalitions in African countries to improve road safety policies and interventions.
Kenya and Senegal were the first two African countries selected for this project in 2019. In these two countries, the first phase of the project was particularly successful with the provision of training sessions, the creation of an action plan to tackle road safety around schools and the establishment of a Kenya Partnership for Safe School Zones as well as a Senegal Partnership for Safe School Zones (P4SSZ).
The Total Foundation is supporting the second phase of the LEARN project aiming at supporting the road safety coalitions already established in Senegal and Kenya move their first steps and implement pilot projects to improve road safety around a number of schools in each country. The second phase of the project also aims at scaling up the LEARN approach in four new African countries: Cameroon, Togo, Uganda and Zambia.
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How to mobilise partnerships and build an evidenced-based approach to improve road safety?
This week, representatives from national and local governments, NGOs, the private sector, media and academia have taken part in a two-day training workshop in Senegal designed to equip and mobilise different partners to join forces to improve road safety data. The data training culminated in a joint concrete action plan to assess risks, improve conditions, and advocate for greater road safety around schools.
The participating organizations were invited because of the role they play either in road safety, strategy and education, or infrastructure. Stimulating partnerships between these diverse organisations will improve data quality, increase available resources, and promote data sharing. Present at the workshop were representatives from Ministry of Transport, Road Agencies, National Police Service, Local Police forces, NGOs, Private sector, Academia as well the media.
LEARN Project: Building capacity on data in Tanzania and Senegal
Context
Improving road safety is a key development priority for Africa. Despite comparatively low motorisation levels, the continent witnesses the world’s highest rate of road traffic fatalities, with approximately 26.6 deaths per 100,000 population (WHO 2018). The importance and need for better road safety data has been highlighted in United Nations, African Union and other multilateral resolutions. The latest Road Safety Resolution approved by the UN General Assembly in April 2018, specifically recognises the importance of capacity building in this field. In recent discussions surrounding the creation of an African Road Safety Observatory, African governments further recognise that coordinated efforts are necessary to address the significant need for better data.
About LEARN
LEARN is a joint initiative of the International Road Federation (Geneva) and the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety made possible thanks to the support of the FIA Road Safety Grant Programme. The joint effort aims at enhancing the knowledge, skills and actions of a selected group of road safety professionals and stakeholders via hands-on trainings in two African countries: Tanzania and Senegal. While building their data-related knowledge and skills during a three-day workshop to be hosted both in Tanzania and in Senegal, participants will familiarise themselves with a range of data tools and techniques that can help improve the quality of their work.
The Global Alliance has conducted over the past two years a series of capacity building initiatives specifically tailored to NGOs working in road safety around the world. The action plans developed by the NGOs attending the training have led to measurable impacts including national legislation change in Tunisia and the Philippines. On the other side, the IRF has been delivering trainings on data over the past 2 decades. The effectiveness of these trainings is reflected and measured with the increased quality and quantity of data harvest annually via the IRF World Road Statistics questionnaire.
“The project will demonstrate the added value of working together, in a systemic way and with the support of data. We aim at building a model of working that can be replicated in other African countries and elsewhere” says Susanna Zammataro, IRF Director General. “Tanzania and Senegal were deliberately chosen as they are representative of two different cultural and linguistic regions. Training resources in French are currently limited, and we believe this project will further enable scaling up road safety activities and reach in francophone Africa as well”, she continues.
For more information contact: info@irfnet.ch
