Bauhaus-Universität Weimar Committed to Improving Traffic Safety on the African Continent
Researchers from all over the world will come together to implement effective traffic safety measures based on evidence-backed research data at the »AfroSAFE Conference 2026« in Lusaka (Sambia). The aim is clear: fewer traffic fatalities on the African continent. Weimar-based transportation system planner Wido Hamel and the EU-funded »AfroTrans« research team will be participating in Lusaka and presenting the project’s current research findings. The work includes work from partner universities in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Austria, Poland, and Germany.
A good 80 percent of traffic fatalities are not reported in the official statistics of low-income countries, a category that includes many African nations, according to a 2021 estimate by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Because of this lack of data, insights into traffic safety are very limited, making improvements difficult.
Wido Hamel from the Professorship of Transport System Planning at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is hoping to improve the data landscape at the AfroSAFE Conference 2026 thanks to the project’s findings: In his presentation, Hamel will discuss the implementation of traffic safety principles, in particular Vision Zero, in Master’s degree programmes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The project aims to establish a Master’s degree programme in road traffic systems engineering at the partner universities in Goma and Butembo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), which will train specialists and promote academic cooperation between Africa and Europe. The presentation is one of six from the AfroTrans team in Lusaka. The project is funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme. In addition to comparing European and African road safety standards and conditions, the presentation will also address AI-supported decision-making tools in situations with limited data, as well as the explicit protection of vulnerable groups in traffic.
The goal of the AfroSAFE Conference 2026 is to foster the exchange of knowledge between international and local road safety researchers, experts, and policymakers, and to provide a platform to discuss the future of road safety on the continent. This is the third year that the event is being held. Before the event, participants will meet for an in-depth discussion at the AfroSAFE Traffic Safety Course (8 - 9 June 2026) to explore the foundations and principles of traffic safety for the African continent. See here for more information.