Maatla Otsogile is the Founder and Coordinator of, Society of Road Safety Ambassadors (SORSA), Botswana’s first youth and children-focused road safety NGO that is committed to supporting the Government to improve road safety. He is also co-founder and Vice-Chairperson of the SADC Alliance of Road Safety NGOs. He has long since been interested in road safety after being involved in a road crash in a school bus in 2005 in a school trip, since then became interested in promoting road safety.
He has a BA Degree in Public Administration and Sociology, a postgraduate Diploma in Project Management as well as a series of short road safety trainings including the Delft road training, IRF Safe Roads by Design (SRD)® “Making Roads Safe for All Road Users” On-Line Certified Training Course as well as the road traffic injury prevention and control in low and middle income countries training offered by John Hopkins University as well as the numerous trainings provided by the Global Alliance of Road Safety NGOs.
He has over 10 years’ experience of managing The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and USAID funded grants with a combined value of USD 35 Million. His key areas of work are child safety and road safety programs for rural communities with key emphasis on non-motorized transport animal drawn transport and bicycles.
Outside of his professional pursuits, Maatla enjoys spending time outdoors, travelling and exploring nature and new places .He often volunteers his time to support local initiatives promoting active transportation and sustainable mobility options.
Maatla is also passionate about community engagement and volunteers with youth organizations to educate children and teenagers about the importance of road safety and responsible road use. Through SORSA, Maatla collaborated closely with government agencies, international organizations, and community stakeholders to develop and implement comprehensive road safety initiatives, leveraging his technical expertise and passion for social change in particular in advocating for the 30 km/h speed limit around school zones and the introduction of the use of iRAP Star Rating for Schools to guide infrastructure improvements and to encourage long term strategic investment in safety by the Botswana government.
