Building sustainable road safety systems for Africa: from data to implementation and ownership
8–12 June 2026
Lusaka, Zambia
Local organizers: Thomas Miyoba, Denis Mwaba
The conference is organized in close co-operation with the School of Engineering, University of Zambia (UNZA), and Zambia Road Safety Trust.
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About
Important dates
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
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6 October 2025 |
Submission opens |
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15 January 2026 |
Abstract submission deadline |
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15 February 2026 |
Notification of acceptance |
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30 March 2026 |
Early Bird fee expiration |
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15 May 2026 |
Registration closed |
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8–9 June 2026 |
AfroSAFE traffic safety course |
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10–11 June 2026 |
3rd AfroSAFE conference |
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12 June 2026 |
AfroSAFE project side event |
Social media
Please, use the hashtags #AfroSAFE_Academy and #afrosafe2026lusaka in your posts related to the conference.
AfroSAFE traffic safety course
In connection to the main conference event, AfroSAFE Academy organizes a two-day course on traffic safety. The course targets scholars active in research on traffic safety, as well as practitioners who want to get a solid understanding of the subject they are dealing with.
The purpose of the course is to provide a holistic view of traffic safety, particularly emphasizing the Safe System as the state-of-the-art approach to traffic safety management.
The course facilitators are top-level experts in traffic safety, with years of experience conducting their own research, teaching the subject to students, and training young career researchers to be excellent in their profession.
AfroSAFE project side event
The conference is concluded with the one day side-event devoted to the demonstration of the results of the AfroSAFE project (2022–2026). The project was financed by the European Union and was devoted to propagation of the Safe System approach in the African context (read more here).
During this day, the project team will show the results of the four years of the research work done in Zambia, Tanzania, and Ghana.
The organization of the event is done by the project team and is free of charge for the participants.
Call
Road safety in high-income countries has improved significantly through data-led safe systems management approaches. However, low-and middle-income countries, including Africa, need help collecting and managing road crash data. About 80% of road crash deaths are missing from official low-income country statistics, limiting their capacity to monitor, effectively advocate for, manage, and efficiently improve road safety. This data gap is a significant hurdle these countries must overcome to improve their road safety records and outcomes.
Addressing Africa’s road safety crisis requires targeted and measured action, which can only be achieved with accurate data, underscoring the urgent need for improved data collection and management, a crucial step towards designing and implementing effective road safety policies leading to substantial reductions in road traffic fatalities. Without accurate and reliable road safety data, identifying patterns, making informed decisions, and implementing effective road safety policies become challenging. The collaborative nature of data collection and management is crucial. While different organisations collect road safety data, the lack of sharing often leads to duplication of effort and inconsistencies in the data. This underscores the importance of collective action and cooperation in improving road safety data management.
The conference aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experiences between international and local road safety scientists, professionals, and policymakers and provide a platform for a joint discussion on the future of road safety on the continent.
Target audience
The conference targets the following groups:
- Researchers and academics working on traffic safety in Africa
- Road safety practitioners from government agencies, NGOs, and private sector organisations
- Policymakers involved in developing and implementing road safety strategies in Africa
- International development partners and stakeholders interested in African road safety.
Conference topics
We welcome papers on the following non-exhaustive sub-themes:
- Improved crash and safety-related data to support road safety analysis and policy development
- Safe system and vision zero within the African context
- Road safety management organisation and analysis of constraints
- Safety issues for specific groups of road users: pedestrians, cyclists, children, elderly, people with disabilities, etc.
- Interactions between road users, vehicles, and infrastructure
- Enforcement and education
- Professional drivers, road safety management in companies and the role of transport buyers
- Key road safety culture challenges and possibilities related to vulnerable road users
- Low-cost solutions for road safety improvement
- Transferability of road safety measures
- Innovative technologies to enhance traffic safety
- Safety aspects of urban and rural transport planning and sustainable mobility.
Presentations should be based on studies that aim to improve understanding of road users’ risks, behaviours, and responses to the road environment and traffic conditions in which they participate. Theoretical contributions related to these issues are also welcomed. A particular relevance for the African context is expected.
Registration
Programme
Presentation
Travel
Publications
Sponsors
Sponsoring options
We invite potential sponsors to contribute to this exciting scientific event. We offer several sponsorship levels as well as tailored solutions to meet your needs and interests.
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Interested to support the conference? Get in contact with the conference organizing team.
Submission
The submission system is open now.
The submission deadline has passed. No further submissions are possible.
The authors are asked to provide an extended abstract using the template. The abstract is limited to max 700 words, and it should contain the following parts:
- Background
- Aim
- Method or methodological issues
- Results
- Conclusions.
Submit your abstracts a *.pdf file.
The conference uses the Oxford Abstracts platform to manage the submissions. If you have never used that system before, you will need to create an account prior to the submission. Otherwise, use your existing credentials to log in.
Submission deadline is 15 January 2026.
Contact
| AfroSAFE Academy | Local organizers | |
|---|---|---|
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Contact person |
Anteneh Mekonnen Filbert Francis |
Thomas Miyoba Denis Mwaba |
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Affiliation |
AfroSAFE Academy Steering Committee |
University of Zambia (UNZA) Zambia Road Safety Trust |
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Email |
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Telephone |
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