Strengthening the Legal Backbone of Road Safety in West Africa: Evaluating Target 2 in Mano River Union Countries

A Continental Challenge with Regional Realities

Africa continues to bear a disproportionate burden of road traffic fatalities, accounting for 20% of global deaths despite having only 2% of the world’s vehicles. West Africa, in particular, is home to some of the most hazardous road environments—characterized by aging fleets, limited enforcement capacity, and underdeveloped institutional frameworks. The situation is especially dire in the Mano River Union (MRU) countries—Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire,—where systemic gaps in legislation and road safety governance are costing lives daily.

Amid these challenges, the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030) provides a roadmap for transformative change. Target 2 specifically calls on all countries to accede to at least one of the seven core UN road safety-related legal instruments. These conventions represent the international gold standard for traffic regulation, vehicle safety, and transport of hazardous goods.

Evaluation Objective

The aim of this independent RSAI evaluation is to:

  • Assess the legal alignment of MRU countries with Target 2;
  • Analyze the strategic importance of each UN convention;
  • Identify policy gaps and risks posed by non-ratification;
  • Offer tailored recommendations to governments and stakeholders.

Evaluation Approach

This evaluation is independent and based on verified legal action, not aspirational policy commitments. Sources include:

  • Official UN Treaty Database;
  • WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety (2023);n;
  • RSAI's independent country-level reviews;
  • Supplementary public legal and institutional documents.

Understanding the Legal Instruments Behind Target 2

At the heart of Target 2 of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety lies a suite of seven powerful legal instruments—global conventions that together form the legal DNA of modern road safety governance. These conventions go beyond policy—they set enforceable, internationally recognized standards on how people drive, how vehicles are built and maintained, how goods are moved, and how fatigue is regulated in commercial transport. For Mano River Union (MRU) countries, accession to these instruments means more than just international alignment; it represents a gateway to stronger institutions, better enforcement, technical collaboration, and safer roads for all. Whether it's standardizing road signs, mandating vehicle inspections, or regulating rest hours for truck drivers, each convention addresses a critical layer of road safety infrastructure—making them indispensable tools for governments serious about cutting road deaths in half by 2030.

Table 1 : Core UN Road Safety Conventions, Benefits, and Strategic Platforms

Convention Year Benefits of Ratification Relevance for MRU Countries Intergovernmental Platform
ADR Agreement on Dangerous Goods 1957 Regulates transport of hazardous materials Critical for managing fuel, chemicals, and medical logistics UNECE WP.15
Agreement on Vehicle Regulations 1958 International vehicle safety standards (E-mark); improved emissions control Helps eliminate substandard vehicle imports UNECE WP.29
Vienna Convention on Road Traffic 1968 Standardized driving rules; legal clarity; mutual driver license recognition Reduces legal inconsistency across borders; enhances enforcement UNECE WP.1
Vienna Convention on Road Signs & Signals 1968 Unified signage; improved traffic communication Crucial for border-crossing drivers, tourists, and freight operators UNECE WP.1
AETR Agreement on Driving Time & Rest 1970 Prevents fatigue in commercial drivers through legal work/rest hours Promotes transport efficiency and labor safety in trans-border trade corridors UNECE SC.1
Agreement on Technical Inspections 1997 Regular vehicle roadworthiness checks Essential for MRU countries with aging and imported second-hand vehicle fleets UNECE WP.29 / SC.1
Global Technical Regulations (GTRs) 1998 Performance-based vehicle innovation benchmarks Aligns with Africa’s Green Transport Agenda UNECE WP.29

The MRU’s Legal Disconnect on Road Safety

The Mano River Union (MRU)—comprising Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire—shares more than just borders. These countries are interlinked by vital cross-border transport corridors, trade routes, and regional migration patterns that depend heavily on road connectivity. However, their road transport systems remain among the most perilous in Africa due to fragmented legal frameworks, inconsistent enforcement, and a near absence of internationally harmonized regulations. RSAI’s independent evaluation of Target 2 reveals a troubling legal landscape: only Côte d’Ivoire has acceded to three of the seven core UN road safety conventions, while Liberia and Sierra Leone have made minimal progress, and Guinea remains entirely unaligned. This uneven commitment not only weakens national road safety systems but also undermines efforts at regional integration, safe mobility, and joint infrastructure planning across the MRU bloc.

Table 2: Convention Accession Status in MRU Countries
UN Convention LR
Liberia		 SL
Sierra Leone		 GN
Guinea		 CI
Côte d’Ivoire
1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic ✅ ✅ ❌ ✅
1968 Road Signs & Signals ✅ ❌ ❌ ✅
1958 Vehicle Regulations ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
1997 Technical Inspection ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅
1998 Global Vehicle Regulations ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
1957 ADR - Dangerous Goods ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
1970 AETR - Driving Time & Rest ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌

Policy Gaps and Strategic Risks

Despite growing recognition of road safety as a development and public health priority, Mano River Union (MRU) countries remain significantly underprepared in their legal alignment with global road safety norms. The independent evaluation of Target 2 reveals stark inconsistencies in the ratification of UN legal instruments—conventions that underpin effective governance, cross-border coordination, and institutional credibility. The consequences of inaction go beyond paper compliance. They expose citizens to unregulated vehicle conditions, increase vulnerability in hazardous goods transport, and impair the region’s ability to attract investment or scale infrastructure reforms. Without these legal foundations, MRU countries are navigating the complexities of road safety with fragmented frameworks and little access to the international platforms designed to support their progress. The gaps are not just administrative—they are strategic risks with real-world impacts on safety, trade, and national resilience.

RSAI Recommendations

Country-Level Recommendations: Legal Reform as a Lifesaving Imperative

For the Mano River Union countries, the path to safer roads must begin with deliberate, country-specific legal action. Each government faces unique gaps—but all share the urgent need to anchor their road safety systems in internationally recognized conventions.

  • Liberia, though showing early signs of engagement, must take bold steps to ratify the 1997 Agreement on Technical Inspections and the 1957 ADR Agreement on Dangerous Goods. These instruments are vital to ensuring that the country’s aging and often second-hand vehicle fleet is regularly inspected and that hazardous materials are safely transported across its borders. Alongside this, Liberia should begin a comprehensive revision of its domestic transport and traffic codes to bring them in line with global best practices.

  • Sierra Leone should focus on bridging its critical gaps by fast-tracking accession to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals—a foundational step for consistent signage and improved communication on its roads. In tandem, it should adopt the Technical Inspection convention to establish systematic vehicle roadworthiness checks, which are essential for preventing mechanical-failure-related crashes.

  • Guinea, having ratified none of the seven UN instruments, must treat this legal vacuum as a national emergency. The country should immediately launch a legal audit and prepare a national roadmap for full alignment with the entire suite of UN road safety conventions. This legal leap is essential not only to protect Guinean road users but also to build institutional credibility and unlock external technical and financial assistance.

  • Côte d’Ivoire, while currently the regional leader in terms of convention accession, should not rest on its achievements. The country should reinforce its leadership by moving to adopt the 1958 Agreement on Vehicle Regulations and the 1970 AETR Agreement on Driving Time and Rest Periods. These steps would solidify its position as a model for legal harmonization in West Africa, especially in cross-border transport safety.

Each country’s next legal step is not just symbolic—it is strategic. The conventions are roadmaps to institutional maturity, regional alignment, and, most importantly, lives saved.

For the MRU Secretariat:

  • Establish a Regional Legal Harmonization Taskforce to monitor treaty adoption and provide peer technical support.
  • Use accession to unlock technical and financial support from UNECE, UNRSF, and WHO.
  • Publish an annual MRU Road Safety Law Report Card.

For ECOWAS & AU Institutions:

  • Incorporate UN convention compliance into the ECOWAS Road Safety Charter.
  • Fund legal reform through an ECOWAS-AU Transport Safety Development Facility.
  • Integrate UN legal instrument ratification into regional mobility and transport protocols.
  • Facilitate peer-learning exchanges with countries already party to these conventions.

When Laws Align, Lives Are Saved

This evaluation of Target 2 makes one thing abundantly clear: the foundation of safer roads lies in stronger laws. The seven UN road safety conventions are not mere diplomatic instruments—they are actionable frameworks designed to protect lives, stabilize transport systems, and enhance international cooperation. By ratifying these conventions, Mano River Union countries can unlock access to global expert networks, improve road user behavior, strengthen cross-border enforcement, and align national regulations with international standards on trade, safety, and the environment.

Each instrument also reinforces regional integration efforts under ECOWAS and the African Union, while supporting global targets like SDG 3.6 and the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030). Yet, the reality remains stark: most MRU countries are lagging behind, and the legal gaps are not theoretical—they are life-threatening.

The tools for transformation are already on the table. The benefits are undeniable. What is missing is the political will to act.

RSAI therefore issues an urgent call to MRU governments, ECOWAS, African institutions, and development partners: treat legal accession not as bureaucracy, but as policy power. A single signature can bring a nation closer to saving thousands of lives.

Because in road safety, progress begins with the law—and when laws align, lives are saved.