Tanzania has been selected for the implementation of the Ten Step Plan for Safer Road Infrastructure Pilot Project funded by the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) and co-financed by the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) and UKAid. With its im
Under the guidance of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the project has been implemented by a consortium led by the International Road Federation (IRF), and including the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), the World Road Association (PIARC) and the Tanzania Roads Association (TARA). It has brought together the Government of Tanzania through the Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT), Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS), Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA), Roads Fund Board, National Institute of Transport (NIT), as well as other leading institutions, road safety NGOs and industry stakeholders in Tanzania.
Project Objectives
The project aims at reducing traffic fatalities and injuries in Tanzania by building the institutional capacity and regulatory framework to improve infrastructure safety (management, road safety audits and assessments, investment, design standards, upgrades and monitoring) and to pilot the approach with concrete action on planned and/or existing road projects. The Ten Step Plan for Safer Road Infrastructure pilot is a two-year project designed to meet the specific needs of Tanzania and build sustainable institutional capacity, impact and partnerships.
Expected Outcomes
- Revised systems and institutional arrangements for road safety management in Tanzania.
- Revised national road infrastructure safety strategy and action plans.
- Revised national road design standards to ensure that they address road safety for all road users and meet the specific needs of vulnerable road users.
- Revised current national and local operational road safety policies, standards, guidelines, and financing arrangements.
- The establishment of a National Road Assessment Programme (TanRAP).
- New national training, accreditation and certification scheme (that supports new road safety targets and builds institutional capacity to sustain the National Safer Road Infrastructure Plan and National Road Assessment Programme).
The Approach
Tanzania is the first country in the world to use the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration (UNRSC) Ten Step approach. An overview of the UNRSC Ten Step Plan for Safer Road Infrastructure is presented in Figure 1.
National Road Safety Workshops
The first step of the plan was the delivery of a National Safer Road Infrastructure Workshop. On 16 – 18 March 2021, the project partners (UNECA, IRF, iRAP, PIARC and TARA) organised the first National Workshop on Safer Road Infrastructure covering topics such as existing Road Infrastructure Safety Management, Design Standards and Implementation arrangements that address the safety needs of all road users in accordance with the Global Framework Plan of Action, UN Global Road Safety Performance Targets and the associated supporting systems and tools available via the UN Road Safety Collaboration partners.
The second National Workshop was held on 2 March 2023 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and was the occasion to present the project’s achievements, results and key deliverables as well as to hand over the final reports and recommendations to the Government of Tanzania through the Ministry of Works and Transport, Tanzania. Furthermore, the Tanzania Road Assessment Programme (TanRAP), a key milestone brought to life by the project in September 2022, saw the signature of its Licence Agreement (MoU) and of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) between the lead institutions and key stakeholders for its establishment and operation.
National Steering Committee and Working Groups
The National Road Safety Workshop officially launched the Ten Step Project in Tanzania. As a result of the Workshop, a National Steering Committee and three Working Groups were formed to implement the next steps. Each group will be focusing its activities on a different objective:
Click here to learn more about the Working Groups structure and activities.
National Road Assessment Programme (TanRAP)
As one of the key milestones of the project, in September 2022, TanRAP, the Tanzanian Road Assessment Programme, was launched in Dar es Salaam to support the project to significantly reduce the risks for all road users and adding to the institutional capacity building which is at the heart of the project, to eliminate high-risk roads and curb the more than 16,000 people who die on the country’s roads annually.
Road Design Assessments and Road Safety Audits Training
Further, a comprehensive training programme revolving around Road Safety Engineering; iRAP Road Assessments; and Road Safety Audits is being delivered as part of the project activities. The purpose of this training programme is to support the acquisition of new skills and the improvement of existing skills to support delivery of safe roads in Tanzania and the region.
To date, 89 participants have fully completed the Road Safety Engineering course and have been certified in 2021. The first 15 Road Safety Auditors were certified in Dar es Salaam in April 2022, and hundreds of registered participants are currently working through the iRAP Road Assessments courses.
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Final Reports
Additional Resources
If you would like to learn more about the project, we invite you to check out the documents and recommended links below.