The 2nd edition of the Kofi Annan Road Safety Awards kicked off on September 25 in Marrakech, under the theme “Digital Transformations and Innovations for Safer Roads.”
The opening ceremony of this event was attended by the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Mohamed Abdeljalil, in addition to the United Nations Secretary General’s (UNSG) Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, the Director of the sub-regional office for North Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Zuzana Brixiova Schwidrowski, the Representative of the World Bank’s Sustainable Transport for Africa Program, as well as representatives of several African organizations and agencies.
Organized by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, the National Road Safety Agency (NARSA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, and the Kofi Annan Foundation, the second edition of the Awards aims to encourage key stakeholders to develop and implement innovative ideas and initiatives to save lives on roads all across the continent.
The awards will also honor governments, private stakeholders, civil society organizations, and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to road safety in Africa.
Morocco’s hosting of this edition is of great significance since the Kingdom has made significant progress in the field of road safety and is committed to promoting South-South cooperation with its African partners in the field of road safety.
The event’s agenda includes workshops on digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) and their role in improving road safety in Africa, in addition to the presentation of several African countries’ expertise in the field of road safety management.
The winners of this award will be selected according to specific criteria relating to elements of global and regional road safety action plans, such as road safety management, innovation in this field, communication efforts in road accident prevention, and national road safety financing.
It should be recalled that Morocco won the 1st edition of the Kofi Annan Awards in Accra, Ghana in 2022 in recognition of the Kingdom’s efforts and African leadership in road safety.