The Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), James Bagie Bio, has successfully completed a five-day international programme on Global Challenges in Transport, hosted at St Peter’s College, University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
The programme, held from 21–25 September 2026, was organised by the Oxford Transport Studies Unit in partnership with Road Safety Action International (RSAI) and focused on the theme: “Equity and Justice in Transport.”
The programme provided an important platform for transport and road-safety leaders to deepen their understanding of the complex relationship between mobility, equity and justice. It explored the different dimensions of justice within transport systems and enabled participants to critically examine how transport policies and systems can affect access, opportunity and mobility, particularly within Western contexts.
Participants included senior transport and road-safety representatives from across the region, including representatives from Liberia, the Minister of Public Works and the Deputy Minister responsible for Land and Rail Transport, as well as the Director of Transport of The Gambia.
For SLRSA, the participation of the Executive Director represents more than an international learning opportunity. It reflects the Authority’s commitment to strengthening strategic leadership, institutional knowledge and international collaboration in pursuit of safer, more inclusive and sustainable transport systems.
The knowledge acquired from the Oxford programme is expected to further strengthen the Executive Director’s capacity to provide informed and forward-looking leadership at SLRSA. Exposure to international approaches to transport governance, mobility, equity and road safety will support the Authority’s efforts to develop and implement interventions that respond to Sierra Leone’s evolving transport and road-safety challenges.
As SLRSA continues to pursue its mandate of protecting lives and improving road safety, the experience gained from the programme will contribute to a broader people-centred approach to transport policy and road-safety management. It reinforces the importance of placing people, safety, accessibility, fairness and dignity at the heart of transport planning and decision-making.
The ultimate objective is to translate knowledge into practical action – creating safer roads, improving mobility, protecting vulnerable road users and ensuring that every citizen can move safely, fairly and with dignity.
The Executive Director’s participation at Oxford therefore adds to the growing body of knowledge and international exposure that can help position SLRSA to respond more effectively to the country’s road-safety needs and to advance a modern, equitable and sustainable transport system for Sierra Leone.
