AfRSO News

SSATP AGM-AUC ARSO +

Hosted by Benin’s Ministry of Living Environment and Transport, in charge of Sustainable Development (MCVT), the 2025 SSATP[1] Annual Meeting took place in Cotonou from March 24-27, 2025. The four-day event brought together over 250 participants – including 9 transport ministers, senior officials from regional and continental institutions such as AUC/ARSO, development partners and transport experts – from across Africa and beyond.

The gathering strategically took place at the midpoint of the SSATP fourth development plan (DP4: 2022-2026) and kicked off with two days of technical sessions that emphasized knowledge sharing and peer learning. This year’s SSATP General Assembly, held on March 27^th, centered around the theme “Strengthened Governance for Safe, Sustainable, and Decarbonised Transport in Africa: Enhancing Institutional Capacity through Regional Collaboration.” AUC’s contribution to the SSATP-AGM included members of the commission participating as presenters, moderators, and panellists in different technical sessions, as well as delivering a keynote address during the opening. At the core of this contribution, enshrined in this participation, is to enable the free movement of goods and people through efficient, safe, affordable, and reliable transport services across the continent, ultimately driving economic growth and regional integration.

Widely recognised as SSATP’s flagship event, the annual meeting not only provided a useful platform to discuss the continental progress achieved thus far and advocate for needed reforms but also served as a forum for sharing knowledge, lessons learned, and experiences that can help advance the continent’s transport agenda going forward. In this regard, as Chair of the SSATP Executive Committee, AUC will continue to support SSATP through strategic engagements and joint initiatives aimed at enhancing the impact of DP4’s thematic focus areas.

[1] SSATP is an international partnership created in 1987 to facilitate policy development and related capacity building in the transport sector in Africa. SSATP is chaired by the African Union Commission (AUC) and is the partnership of 43 AU Member States; 8 Regional Economic Communities (RECs); and 2 African institutions, namely AUC and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Financing partners for its Development Plan include the European Commission (main donor), Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), African Development Bank (AfDB), and World Bank (the host).