Tanzania and Japan have stepped up efforts to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries through improved emergency medical services and expanded road safety education, as the two countries deepen cooperation under a three-year safety programme.
The renewed commitment was made on Friday during a meeting between officials from the Ministry of Health, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Works to review progress of the Project for Road Safety Strengthening in Tanzania.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Eliud Eliakimu said the initiative seeks to strengthen emergency response systems while promoting road safety awareness from pre-primary schools to higher learning institutions, supporting the government's target of reducing road traffic fatalities and injuries by 2030.
He said achieving that goal would require coordinated action across ministries and agencies responsible for road safety, emergency medical care and public awareness.
"The success of this project depends on close collaboration among sector ministries and institutions so that it reaches more Tanzanians and contributes to the government's target of reducing deaths and injuries caused by road crashes by 2030," Dr Eliakimu said.
He urged technical teams to finalise joint strategies that would harmonise emergency response services and public communication, adding that the Ministry of Health would continue working with other government institutions to promote safe road use through traditional and digital media.
JICA Project Manager Manabu Ohno said the project, launched in April 2025 and expected to run until 2028, focuses on improving road safety education, particularly among children in pre-primary and primary schools, while fostering safer road-use behaviour among the wider public.
JICA's Project Formulation Advisor, Mr Sumi Yukiyasu, said the programme has already recorded progress through partnerships with the Fire and Rescue Force and the Tanzania Police Force's Traffic Unit, especially in high-traffic urban areas, including Dar es Salaam.
He said JICA would continue supporting Tanzania to strengthen emergency medical services and improve road safety as part of broader efforts to save lives on the country's roads.
The meeting, held at the Office of the Chief Medical Officer in Dodoma, reviewed the implementation of the project and reaffirmed Tanzania and Japan's commitment to strengthening institutional cooperation, improving emergency response and expanding road safety education to help curb the human and economic toll of road crashes.
