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SE speaks at the 7th annual lecture series in Nigeria

August 24-25, the Special Envoy traveled to Abuja, Nigeria to speak at the 7th Annual Lecture Series organized by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), which was attended by over 1000 participants. In his speech, he applauded government’s on-going efforts on advancing road safety and called for enhanced commitment of all relevant stakeholders. The Special Envoy also encouraged stronger collaboration and experience sharing within country and across the continent, highlighting that Nigeria is well placed to become a road safety champion in the region. The 2015 Mid-Term Review of the African Road Safety Action Plan ranked Nigeria among top five best performing countries in Africa on road safety. "Nigeria could set an example for the region through the implementation of its national strategy - such as with the recent establishment of a National Road Traffic Crash Data Management system. This will help address the need for better coordinated data collection and management, which is critical issue across the continent", the Special Envoy highlighted in his speech.
During his official visit to Nigeria, the Special Envoy met with key government stakeholders, such as Vice-President, Acting Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Minister of Health, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, and the FRSC Marshal. The Vice-President highlighted the need for increased law enforcement in the country, which remains to be one of the critical areas to be addressed. In the course of the mission, the Special Envoy visited FRCS facilities, where the National Road Traffic Crash Data Management System (NACRIS) was presented to him. Established in 2016 with the support of World Bank, NACRIS collects road crash data from all relevant stakeholders using harmonized methodologies. 
Nigeria is currently implementing its National Road Safety Strategy aiming at reducing road traffic fatalities by half in 2020. This commitment by the federal government has been reinforced by the visit of the Special Envoy. Nigeria’s high-level officials appreciated the Special Envoy’s visit and concluded that it will raise awareness and enhance commitment to road safety not only in Nigeria, but also on the entire continent. The Special Envoy further encouraged Nigeria's accession to and successful implementation of United Nations Road Safety Conventions. Nigeria is currently a contracting party to the 1968 Convention on Road Signs and Signals.