The Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA), Mr. James Bagie Bio, has held a high-level meeting with the Nigerian High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Her Excellency Ambassador Ayo Luther-Ogbomode, at the Nigeria High Commission in Freetown, as both countries seek to deepen cooperation in road safety management.

The meeting formed part of ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral collaboration between Sierra Leone and Nigeria, with particular emphasis on knowledge exchange, institutional partnerships and the adoption of best practices aimed at improving road safety and reducing road traffic crashes.

The engagement comes against the backdrop of growing cooperation between the two countries in the road safety sector, following the signing in July 2026 of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the SLRSA and Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

The agreement provides a framework for strengthened collaboration in several areas, including road safety management, capacity building, research, data-driven interventions, vehicle administration, public sensitisation and enforcement.

SLRSA Seeks Nigeria’s Continued Support

During the meeting, Executive Director James Bagie Bio expressed appreciation for Nigeria’s continued support and experience in road safety administration, noting that stronger partnerships were essential to addressing the shared challenge of road traffic crashes.

Mr. Bio acknowledged the significant role played by Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps in developing road safety systems and expressed the SLRSA’s interest in drawing from the Nigerian model to strengthen and transform road safety operations in Sierra Leone.

He also appealed to Ambassador Luther-Ogbomode to use her good office to further support the SLRSA’s efforts to make roads and road use safer for all road users across the country.

The SLRSA Executive Director stressed the importance of sustained institutional cooperation, particularly in areas where Nigeria has accumulated considerable experience and technical expertise.

He noted that the recent SLRSA-FRSC partnership provides an important foundation for translating the two countries’ shared commitment to road safety into practical programmes and interventions.

Nigeria Reaffirms Bilateral Commitment

The Nigerian High Commissioner, Ambassador Ayo Luther-Ogbomode, welcomed the engagement and reaffirmed the importance of strengthening bilateral relations between Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

She underscored the value of cooperation in sectors that have a direct impact on the safety, wellbeing and livelihoods of citizens.

The meeting also provided an opportunity for both sides to explore additional avenues for practical collaboration, building on the recently signed SLRSA-FRSC MoU.

The partnership is expected to facilitate greater exchange of technical knowledge and institutional experience, while supporting initiatives aimed at improving road safety enforcement, public education, data collection and analysis, and the management of vehicles and road users.

Building Safer Roads

Road traffic crashes remain a major concern for governments across the region, making regional cooperation and the sharing of successful road safety practices increasingly important.

The SLRSA continues to pursue strategic partnerships at local, regional and international levels as part of its mandate to improve road safety, strengthen institutional capacity and promote safer mobility across Sierra Leone.

The engagement at the Nigeria High Commission therefore represents another step towards deepening Sierra Leone-Nigeria cooperation and ensuring that commitments made under the SLRSA-FRSC partnership translate into practical actions capable of improving road safety and protecting lives on Sierra Leone’s roads.