AfroSAFE webinar January 2025
State of Road Traffic Safety in Ghana
Road traffic injuries in Ghana have far-reaching physical, social, and economic consequences for individuals, families, communities, and the nation. In 2023, road crashes were estimated to cost 1.6% of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product, approximately 1.2 billion USD, highlighting their substantial economic burden. Official data on road traffic crashes, stored in the national crash database at the Building and Road Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Kumasi, Ghana is derived from police reports. However, this data is limited by non-reporting, where incidents go unreported, and non-recording, where reported data is excluded from official statistics.
Pedestrians mostly account for the highest share of fatalities, yet motorcycle-related crashes and fatalities have surged dramatically, with motorcyclist fatalities rising from 2.9% of all fatalities in 2002 to 31.7% in 2021. Key challenges contributing to road crashes include unsafe road user behaviour, poorly maintained vehicles, and unforgiving road infrastructure. The National Road Safety Authority oversees road safety efforts, yet Ghana’s fourth National Road Safety Strategy follows three earlier strategies that failed to meet their targets. Despite the presence of robust road safety regulations, enforcement remains weak.
Addressing the road safety crisis requires a holistic approach, combining engineering interventions, public education, stricter enforcement of traffic laws, and improvements in vehicle conditions and road infrastructure to achieve measurable and sustainable improvements in safety outcomes.
About the speaker
Prof. Williams Ackaah is a Principal Research Scientist at the Building and Road Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-BRRI), Kumasi, and the Dean of the Faculty of Built Environment at the CSIR College of Science and Technology.
He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Traffic Engineering from the University of the German Federal Armed Forces, Munich, a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Transportation Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and a Diploma in Road Traffic Safety from Lund University, Sweden.
Prof. Ackaah has authored numerous publications, including refereed journal papers, books, conference papers, technical reports, and manuals. His research interests include road traffic, intelligent transport systems, and traffic simulation
When and how
Friday, 17 January 2025
15:00–16:00 CET (time convertor)
Format: Zoom webinar/meeting
Participation in the webinar is free, however registration is required.
GDPR note: The webinar will be automatically recorded and later openly published on AfroSAFE Academy’s website and YouTube channel. By registering, you agree that both your voice and video image (if turned on) may appear in the recording.
