The government has called for a significant expansion of road infrastructure safety training, arguing that stronger technical capacity among engineers and planners is key to reducing Tanzania’s persistent road accidents, injuries and fatalities.
The Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office for Regional Administration and Local Government, Prof. Riziki Shemdoe, said current efforts remain insufficient compared to the scale of the challenge facing the country’s transport infrastructure.
Opening the 2026 Road Infrastructure Safety Training organised by the Tanzania Road Safety Initiative (TARSI) in Arusha on April 22, 2026, Prof. Shemdoe emphasised that investing in professional skills is central to improving road safety outcomes.
“While TARSI has trained about 800 engineers, this number is still too small. We need to reach more professionals so they can apply safety principles in the design, construction and maintenance of our roads,” he said.
He added that expanding such training programmes to include planners, contractors and policymakers would strengthen coordination across the infrastructure value chain, where safety considerations are often overlooked or inconsistently applied.
The training, held at the Four Points by Sheraton Arusha, brings together engineers and stakeholders to enhance their understanding of how infrastructure design influences road safety, particularly during early project stages.
Many road accidents in Tanzania are linked not only to human behaviour but also to gaps in infrastructure design, including poor signage, inadequate pedestrian facilities and limited enforcement of safety standards.
Prof. Shemdoe stressed that addressing these structural issues requires a long-term approach that begins with education and professional training.
“We must also take these programmes to universities. If road safety is embedded in engineering curricula, we will produce professionals who prioritise safety from the start,” he said.
Such integration, he argued, would help align academic training with national development needs, particularly as Tanzania continues to expand its road network under agencies such as TANROADS and TARURA.
Beyond technical training, the minister highlighted the importance of behavioural change, urging participants to act as ambassadors of road safety in their daily lives and professional work.
“Engineers and stakeholders must lead by example by respecting traffic laws and promoting safety awareness in the community. This is not just a professional responsibility, but a national duty,” he said.
TARSI Executive Director, Eng. Maliki Barongo, said the programme responds to practical gaps observed in infrastructure projects, where safety is sometimes treated as an afterthought rather than a core design principle.
“Our goal is to strengthen how stakeholders plan, design and implement road projects, ensuring safety is considered from the earliest stages,” he said.
He added that the initiative reflects growing recognition within the sector that safer infrastructure can significantly reduce the social and economic costs associated with road traffic accidents.
As Tanzania continues to invest in expanding and upgrading its transport systems, stakeholders say sustained focus on capacity building and safety standards will be critical in ensuring that development does not come at the expense of human life.
