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Press release in Portuguese

MAPUTO, October 6, 2025 – The Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP), in collaboration with the Government of Mozambique through the National Institute of Road Transport (INATRO), today launches the first Lusophone edition of the Leaders in Road Safety Management Training Program (LRSMTP).

Over five days, about 40 participants from Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe will gather in Maputo to strengthen their leadership capacity, exchange experiences, and build the skills needed to advance road safety in their countries.

Conducted entirely in Portuguese, the program combines expert-led modules, peer learning, case studies, and field visits to create an engaging and hands-on learning experience. Participants will also explore key areas such as strengthening institutional frameworks, improving crash data systems, enhancing road and vehicle safety, promoting safer user behavior, and reinforcing post-crash response.

By focusing on Lusophone Africa, this edition provides a platform to respond to the road safety crisis on the continent while promoting cooperation among countries that share linguistic and cultural ties—fostering relationships that will endure beyond the training itself.

This initiative takes place at a time when Africa continues to face the world’s highest road-traffic mortality rates, with more than 19 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants each year—nearly three times higher than Europe’s average. The consequences of road crashes are devastating: families lose breadwinners, health systems are overwhelmed, and economies suffer heavy productivity losses.

Through initiatives such as the LRSMTP, SSATP is working with countries to reverse this trend and support the achievement of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 goal of halving road-traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030.

Jesús Laviña – Team Leader for Infrastructure and Private Sector, European Union Delegation, highlighted the strategic importance of this new edition:

“This Lusophone training completes the program’s reach across the entire continent. It reflects SSATP’s determination, with our support, to ensure that all African countries—regardless of language—can access the tools, networks, and knowledge needed to address the road safety crisis. The Lusophone program is not only about building capacities today but also about fostering lasting regional cooperation that will save lives in the years to come.”

Mozambique’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, João Jorge Matlombe, underscored the national and regional significance of the training:

“Mozambique’s selection as host country for this training is a clear sign of the confidence our partners place in our ability to lead with responsibility and vision. We commend SSATP for the initiative to bring together leaders from our brother countries—Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Mozambique—united by a common language, a shared history, and a collective mission: to make our roads safer for all. Because saving lives is, and always will be, our greatest purpose. We reiterate our gratitude to our partners and reaffirm the full commitment of the Government of Mozambique to continue working with all in building a transport system that is safer, more inclusive, and more sustainable.”

About INATRO

The National Institute of Road Transport (INATRO) is the public body responsible for regulating and overseeing the road transport sector in Mozambique. Its mission is to ensure that the mobility of people and goods takes place with quality, safety, and respect for citizens’ rights. INATRO plays a strategic role in protecting lives on the road, modernizing services, and building trust between road users and the transport system. For more information, visit: www.inatro.gov.mz

About SSATP

Established in 1987, the Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP) is an international partnership working to ensure that all Africans have access to safe, sustainable, and reliable transport systems. SSATP collaborates with 43 member countries, continental institutions, and international partners to address transport policy and capacity challenges across the region. The program is currently implementing its Fourth Development Plan (DP4), financed by the European Commission, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), and the African Development Bank (AfDB), and is hosted by the World Bank. For more information, visit: www.ssatp.org

Media Contacts

Verlopes Nhampossa
Communications and Image Office, INATRO
📧 Verlopes.nhampossa@mtl.gov.mz

Kaori Niina
External Affairs Officer, SSATP
📧 kniina@worldbank.org

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