During the African Road Safety Observatory‘s recent webinar on motorcycle safety held on 6 March 2026, Tom Bishop, Program Director at Amend, highlighted a critical gap in African road safety: the lack of formal training for motorcycle taxi and delivery riders.
While motorcycles are essential for affordable mobility and provide significant employment and business opportunities, motorcyclists remain among the most vulnerable road users.
Tom revealed that in some African countries, formal training rates are as low as 2% to 3%. Most riders acquire skills informally, and even when riders do attend formal training existing programs, they do not learn key practical skills such as braking, positioning cornering and decision-making. To combat this, Amend is rolling out a specialized two-day training model:
- Day 1 (Knowledge): Focuses on the “I AM SAFE” mindset, safety gear, and hazard perception.
- Day 2 (Skills): Intensive practical drills including emergency stops, swerving, and cornering.
With over 3,100 riders already trained across eight African nations, Amend is now moving toward a scientific impact evaluation to measure reductions in injury numbers and severity. By professionalizing the sector through evidence-based training, we are committed to ensuring that Africa’s “wheels of change” are also wheels of safety.
