A decade ago Rwanda had one of the worst road safety records in the world, according to the World Health Organisation. Supporting this assertion, a 1996 report commissioned by the World Bank concluded that one accident was occurring every two and a half hours on Rwanda’s roads, which resulted in mass injuries and a rate of death at 10%. A contributing factor was the state of the road network which was left in ruins as a result of the 1994 genocide. The destroyed roads were a constant reminder of the horrors the country was trying to put behind them.
The World Bank report triggered the government to take action starting with a road safety programme financed by the World Bank. Under the program, the government consulted widely with transport stakeholders including pedestrians and revamped its laws on road conduct. This resulted in strict enforcement of laws and as of 2001 this included mandatory wearing of seatbelts, adherence to speed limits, vehicle inspections to ensure standards of road worthiness were upheld, and limits on drinking and driving. In 2003, the government added a public awareness campaign to the programme and increased penalties for those not wearing seatbelts or helmets for motorcyclists.
Today the number of casualties on Rwanda’s roads has decreased substantially. According to figures from Rwanda’s Ministry of Transport covering the first quarter of 2012, on average, one person is killed per day on Rwanda’s roads – even while the number of vehicles continues to increase. Kigali, Rwanda’s most populace city, which also accounts for over 80% of all accidents in the country, has seen an increase in the number of vehicles on the road rise from 60,000 to 80,000 in the same quarter.
To support their efforts, the government of Rwanda, through the Ministry of Internal Security, contracted a German company to supply a mobile test lane for their motor vehicles inspection centre. ATI covered the transaction with a political risk insurance backing the contractor against the risk of non-payment.
The mobile test lane project adds another layer to the governments safety programme. The project focuses on increasing the capacity of the police to enforce laws through the use of technology and it is expected to further reduce the number of traffic fatalities.
“This project was noteworthy because it highlights our mandate to support member countries. In this case we secured the services of an international contractor while helping the government save lives,” notes ATI’s CEO, George Otieno.
Cumulatively, ATI has supported $13.5 billion worth of trade and investments into its African member countries – of this, the Pan African insurer backed transactions valued at over $2.5 billion in 2013.
