Charles Ogba, Abuja
The President of the Court of Appeal in Nigeria, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has urged African nations to elevate road safety to a continental priority.
She made the call at the International Road Crash Victims Africa Conference held in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The conference, organised by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in collaboration with Kwapda’as Road Safety Demand (KRSD), brought together policymakers, safety advocates, and victims’ support groups to address the rising toll of road crashes across Africa.
Justice Dongban-Mensem, who is also the founder of KRSD, stressed the urgent need for stronger legislation to protect road users, cushion the devastating impact of accidents on families, and curb the persistent recklessness of drivers.
“This is about Africa. Our common experiences bring us together. We need to take care of our needs and talk about it. African leaders should take road safety issues to higher levels,” she said.
She noted that effective enforcement, public enlightenment, and modern traffic management systems remain critical to reducing avoidable deaths on African roads.
She further highlighted that road crashes constitute one of the leading causes of death among young people in Africa, calling for coordinated action from governments, civil society, and transport unions to reverse the trend.
Representing President Bola Tinubu, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, George Akume, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring safer and more reliable road transport nationwide.
The SGF warned that Africa must urgently “develop practical solutions” to halt the loss of young, productive citizens to preventable road crashes.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to making road transportation safer, more reliable, and economically efficient, noting that his administration is expanding investments in road infrastructure to drive economic growth “while safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians.”
Delivering the keynote address, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, stressed that strict enforcement of traffic rules and increased visibility of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) personnel would help restore sanity on the roads.
He further called for mandatory inclusion of proper road signage in all construction contracts and praised the FRSC for its leadership in advancing road safety across the continent, describing its work as “essential to Africa’s development.”
The conference, themed “Gathering the World, Africa for Road Crash Victims,” united officials from 15 African nations, alongside experts from the World Bank, United Nations, and global NGOs, to champion the rights and needs of road crash victims.
Oyenike Oyeniyi