The Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) on Thursday convened a high-level stakeholders’ engagement in Port Loko City aimed at popularizing the African Road Safety Charter and strengthening public awareness on road safety responsibilities across the country.

The engagement, held at the Education Hall in Port Loko City, brought together key stakeholders from the North-West Region as part of activities marking the Global Road Safety Week under the theme: “Accelerating Road Safety Action Through the African Road Safety Charter.”

The programme followed Sierra Leone’s formal ratification of the African Road Safety Charter in July 2025 and the subsequent deposit of the instrument of ratification at the African Union Commission in September 2025, making Sierra Leone the 14th African Union member state to ratify the Charter.

According to SLRSA, the Charter serves as a continental legal and policy framework designed to reduce road crashes, injuries, and fatalities across Africa through stronger traffic law enforcement, safer road infrastructure, improved emergency response systems, and enhanced road safety coordination.

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Welcoming participants to the engagement, the Mayor of Port Loko City, Ali Badara Tarawallie, commended the leadership and management of SLRSA for organizing what he described as an important educative engagement for residents of the North-West Region. He praised what he termed the visible transformation within the Authority and its efforts toward improving accountability and service delivery nationwide.

Drawing from his previous experience with the Authority, the Mayor observed that considerable progress had been made over the years in strengthening road safety administration in Sierra Leone.

Delivering the Chairperson’s remarks, the Director of Human Resources and Administration at SLRSA, Mrs. Mariama Masuba, stated that the engagement was intended to deepen public understanding of the African Road Safety Charter during the observance of Global Road Safety Week.

Mrs. Masuba explained that Sierra Leone considered it necessary to commemorate the week in order to sensitize citizens on the importance of the Charter and the collective role required in promoting road safety nationwide.

She outlined the core functions of SLRSA, including the issuance of driver’s and vehicle licences, conducting vehicle fitness tests, and ensuring safer roads across the country. She emphasized that road safety remains a shared responsibility requiring the active participation of all road users and institutions.

Mrs. Masuba further disclosed that one of the first initiatives undertaken by the Executive Director of SLRSA, James Bagie Bio, upon assuming office was to strengthen institutional collaboration between the Authority and the Sierra Leone Police in order to improve nationwide road safety enforcement.

Speaking on behalf of the Government, the Resident Minister for the North-West Region, Umaru Bon Wurie, underscored the importance of the engagement and applauded the leadership of Executive Director James Bagie Bio.

The Minister described Mr. Bio as one of Sierra Leone’s young leaders demonstrating exemplary and visionary leadership in public service. He also noted that Sierra Leone’s driver’s licence continues to enjoy broad international recognition and acceptance, while encouraging the Authority to sustain ongoing reforms within the transport sector.

Also addressing the gathering, the Paramount Chief of Marampa Chiefdom, Bai Koblo Queen II, stressed that ensuring road safety is a collective national responsibility involving all citizens and institutions.

The Paramount Chief called on the Authority to deploy more tow-trucks along major highways to facilitate the prompt removal of broken-down vehicles, noting that abandoned and stationary vehicles continue to contribute significantly to road crashes across the country.

Delivering the keynote address, the Executive Director of SLRSA, James Bagie Bio, reaffirmed the Authority’s mandate as the lead institution responsible for coordinating road safety activities in Sierra Leone.

Mr. Bio described the African Road Safety Charter as a critical legal and policy instrument that provides African countries with a framework for improving road infrastructure, strengthening traffic law enforcement, promoting safer vehicles, and enhancing emergency response systems.

According to the Executive Director, the Charter commits member states to reducing road traffic crashes and fatalities by 50 percent, emphasizing that nationwide stakeholder engagements remain essential in achieving that objective.

He explained that the Port Loko engagement formed part of broader national efforts to popularize the Charter and encourage collective ownership of road safety initiatives throughout Sierra Leone.

Mr. Bio further disclosed that one of his first official actions after assuming office was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sierra Leone Police to strengthen collaboration in road safety enforcement and public awareness campaigns. He added that similar partnerships have also been established with institutions including the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau and the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society.

The Executive Director revealed that from January 2025 to date, Sierra Leone has recorded more than 2,000 road crashes, with over 68 percent involving commercial motorbikes.

He therefore urged riders and drivers to exercise greater caution on the roads and encouraged commercial bike riders and passengers to wear helmets consistently in order to reduce fatalities and serious injuries.

Mr. Bio also disclosed that SLRSA has intensified enforcement actions against operators of unroadworthy heavy-duty vehicles by making vehicle fitness tests mandatory before licensing or renewal.

He stressed that every road crash carries severe economic and social consequences, often resulting in the loss of lives and livelihoods.

The Executive Director concluded by calling on traffic law enforcement officers in the North-West Region to closely monitor overloaded vehicles and reaffirmed that road safety awareness campaigns must extend beyond Freetown to all districts across Sierra Leone. “Road safety is everybody’s business,” Mr. Bio emphasized.