Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) have begun developing Africa’s first media guidelines for reporting road safety.
The initiative was launched on Tuesday in Abuja at a three-day African media forum bringing together editors, journalists, road safety experts and content creators from across the continent.
The guidelines are expected to promote evidence-based reporting on road crashes and encourage stronger public demand for policies that prevent deaths and serious injuries.
Road safety remains a major public health concern in Africa, with the WHO African Region recording nearly 250,000 road traffic deaths annually, according to the organisers.
WHO Representative in Nigeria, Dr Pavel Ursu, said the media had a role in closing the gap between scientific evidence and public understanding of road safety. “This is about closing the gap between science and story. It’s about correcting misperceptions on an urgent and preventable health crisis and driving accountability for action that saves lives.”
Ursu said stronger media coverage could help increase public understanding of effective road-safety interventions and encourage policymakers to implement measures known to prevent serious injuries and deaths.
Dr Nhan Tran, Head of WHO’s Violence and Injury Prevention Unit, said the approach should prioritise human safety rather than vehicle speed. “It’s about building safe streets for people, not fast-moving motor vehicles. It’s about making safety the top priority.”
CJID Chief Executive Officer Dapo Olorunyomi said editorial decisions could influence whether road crashes were viewed simply as isolated incidents or as issues requiring policy responses.
“Through this forum, CJID and the WHO will work with editors, journalists, and influencers across Africa to build a shared, evidence-based standard for covering road safety, so that reporting starts holding power to account and becomes part of the solution, not just a record of the loss.”
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Mirian Gom