В Аккре подписали хартию по улучшению стандартов мотоциклетных шлемов в Африке

Transaid and FIA Foundation target motorcycle safety at Accra summit International transport charity Transaid and the FIA Foundation have concluded the third annual Safe African Helmets Initiative (SAHI) Summit in Accra, Ghana, calling for urgent cross-border action to improve helmet standards, enforcement, and supply chains. Hosted alongside Ghana’s National Road Safety Authority, the event brought together representatives from eight sub-Saharan African nations, including Kenya, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, to address the rising road toll linked to the continent’s rapidly growing two-wheeler sector. Quality, compliance, and supply With commercial motorcycle transport driving local mobility and last-mile logistics, industry experts at the summit highlighted a critical market issue: the widespread availability of non-compliant helmets that fail during crashes. The three-day event addressed several key technical and operational priorities: - Standards & enforcement: Establishing robust helmet testing criteria and testing real-time enforcement tactics alongside Ghanaian authorities. - Supply chain & affordability: Strengthening local distribution networks to improve the availability of affordable, certified helmets. - Data collection: Harmonising crash reporting across participating nations to track helmet efficacy and rider outcomes. Speaking following the conclusion of the SAHI Summit, Sam Clark, head of programmes for Transaid, said: “Motorcycles are an essential part of Africa’s transport network, supporting livelihoods and providing vital mobility for millions of people daily. Their rapid growth has highlighted an urgent need to improve rider and passenger safety. The Summit brings countries together to share practical solutions, learn from one another and build the partnerships needed to expand access to quality helmets and reduce preventable deaths and serious injuries.” FIA Foundation programmes director, Aggie Krasnolucka, adds: “Motorcycle safety requires action across the whole system – from legislation and standards to testing, enforcement, procurement and access to affordable quality helmets. SAHI provides an important space for countries to share practical experience and work together on the solutions needed to prevent deaths and serious injuries.” In his opening address, Hon. Julius Debrah, chief of staff to the president of Ghana, said: “Motorcycles have become indispensable across our continent. They connect communities, move goods, help traders reach markets, and create livelihoods for many young people. In some places, they are the quickest way to reach a school, a clinic, or a workplace. This is Africa’s mobility reality. Together we can advance the global goal of halving road deaths and injuries by 2030 and build transport systems that place human life at the centre. Every head deserves a safe helmet, every journey deserves a safe return, and every life saved is a family kept home.” “It is a bitter irony that a rider may obey the laws by wearing a helmet, yet perish because the helmet itself was not designed to save a life,” noted Hon. Joseph Bukari Nikpe, Ghana’s Minister of Transport. “The Safe African Helmet Initiative is more than a technical engagement. It is an expression of continental solidarity: No African country will resolve this problem alone. It is when we work together that we will be able to overcome this.” A unified charter for Sub-Saharan Africa To lock in progress, leadership from Transaid, the FIA Foundation, and the Ghanaian Ministry of Transport signed a formal charter committing to targeted regional safety initiatives. The partnership aims to support the broader UN objective of reducing global road fatalities by 50 per cent by 2030 through sustainable fleet and rider safety frameworks.