Prudence Foundation Expands SAFE STEPS Road Safety Programme into Africa

International Footballer Didier Drogba As Ambassador of Ground-Breaking Programme

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 29 October 2019 - Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential in Asia and Africa, announced today that it has teamed up with international footballer Didier Drogba, together with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), Didier Drogba Foundation and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), to launch SAFE STEPS Road Safety Africa.

Globally, 1.35 million people are killed on the roads every year, including 500 children every day. Road-related crashes are the number one cause of death of 5 to 29-year olds and continue to be a serious issue in both developing and developed nations. Africa has the highest road fatality rate in the world and 44 percent of road traffic deaths are pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, although Africa has only 2 percent of the world's cars, the continent accounts for 20 percent of road deaths worldwide.[1]

SAFE STEPS Road Safety Africa, an extension of the ground-breaking, pan-Asia SAFE STEPS Road Safety programme, uses multiple platforms including on-air videos, an informative website and print material that can be shared through community-based activities and partnerships to raise awareness of the world's leading cause of death by providing clear and simple life-saving information.

Core to the programme is a series of 60-second public service announcement videos featuring SAFE STEPS Road Safety Africa Ambassador Didier Drogba who advises on key topics on road safety, namely drink driving, distracted driving, seat belts, speed limits, motor cycles and pedestrians. All messages are approved by IFRC which will also be leveraging the programme across its African network.

Ivory Coast is the first country in Africa to launch SAFE STEPS Road Safety Africa. With support from the Government of Ivory Coast, the programme was officially launched in Abidjan on 25 October by H.E. Amadou Koné, Minister of Transport, in the presence of Didier Drogba, Marc Fancy, Executive Director of Prudence Foundation, and Jean Todt, President of FIA and United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety.

Marc Fancy said, "Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential in Asia and Africa, is committed to protecting the future of communities by enhancing their education, health and safety. Following the success of SAFE STEPS Road Safety in Asia, we are delighted to be launching the new SAFE STEPS Road Safety Africa campaign in the Ivory Coast. We believe that with Didier leading this pan-Africa campaign, the messages on road safety will be able to reach millions of Africans and contribute to making Africa's roads safer and help save lives."

Jean Todt said, "The road safety crisis must be quickly and effectively addressed, especially in Africa where the mortality rates are higher than in the rest of the world. With awareness campaigns such as SAFE STEPS Road Safety Africa, we want to make people conscious of the dangers they are exposed to when they don't respect simple safety rules on the road."

Didier Drogba said, "Road traffic crashes are the leading cause of death in Ivory Coast. Children and pedestrians are the most vulnerable. We have an obligation to further protect our people by educating them and teaching them the best practices to save lives. The statistics are alarming! It seems obvious to me to get involved to support such a cause, so that we can change things as soon as possible!"

Dr Simon Missiri, IFRC Regional Director for Africa a.i., said, "We are increasingly concerned about the escalation of the road safety crisis. Road crashes not only take lives, they also take up much-needed health care resources in communities that often suffer from other severe health issues. Urgent action is need in order to reverse this trend. One of IFRC's priorities is to build a culture of risk reduction and prevention and this includes improving road safety to save lives and build safer communities."  

Notes to the Editor:

Relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to Road Safety:

SDG 3: Good Health and Well Being

• 3.2: By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births.
• 3.6: By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• 11.2: By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.

About SAFE STEPS

SAFE STEPS is created and developed by Prudence Foundation and is a partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), National Geographic and the FIA for the road safety programme. At its core, SAFE STEPS comprises of three programmes addressing Natural Disasters, Road Safety and First Aid. Each programme consists of a series of public service announcement videos, online and print materials that aim to raise awareness and provide easy-to-understand educational information on each of these life-threatening issues in the hope of saving lives and building more resilient communities. In Asia, the SAFE STEPS programmes reach more than 250 million people every day via multi-sector partnerships and platforms.

SAFE STEPS Road Safety Africa is Prudence Foundation's new campaign for the African continent. In partnership with the FIA, the IFRC and the Drogba Foundation and with Didier Drogba as its Ambassador, the campaign aims to reach as many Africans as possible in an effort to raise awareness and education on road safety and save lives. Following the same model in Asia, the campaign will be distributed across Africa via multi-sector partnerships and platforms including the IFRC's African network.

About Prudence Foundation

Prudence Foundation is the community investment arm of Prudential in Asia and Africa. Its mission is to secure the future of communities by enhancing education, health and safety. The Foundation runs regional programmes as well as local programmes in partnership with NGOs, governments and the private sector in order to maximise the impact of its efforts. Prudence Foundation leverages Prudential's long-term mindset and geographical scale to make communities safer, more secure and more resilient. The Foundation is a Hong Kong registered charitable entity.

For more information: www.prudencefoundation.com   

About the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation of the world's leading motoring organisations.

Founded in 1904, with headquarters in Paris and Geneva, the FIA is a non-profit organisation. It brings together 240 Member Organisations from 144 countries on five continents. Its Member Clubs represent over 70 million road users and their families.

The FIA promotes safe, sustainable and accessible mobility for all road users around the world.

For more information: www.fia.com

About IFRC

IFRC is the world's largest humanitarian network, comprising 190 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies working to save lives and promote dignity around the world.

For more information about IFRC: www.ifrc.org

About Prudential Corporation Asia

Prudential Corporation Asia is a business unit of Prudential plc (United Kingdom)*, comprising its life insurance operations in Asia, and its asset management business, Eastspring Investments. 

Prudential is a leading life insurer with operations spanning 12 markets in Asia, covering Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Prudential has a robust multi-channel distribution platform providing a comprehensive range of savings, investment and protection products to meet the diverse needs of Asian families.

Eastspring Investments manages investments across Asia on behalf of a wide range of retail and institutional investors. It is one of the region's largest asset managers with a presence in 11 major Asian markets plus distribution offices in North America and Europe. It has £169 billion (about US$216 billion) in assets under management (as at 30 June 2019), managing funds across a range of asset classes including equities and fixed income.

*Prudential plc is an Asia-led portfolio of businesses focused on structural growth markets. The business helps individuals to de-risk their lives and deal with their biggest financial concerns through life and health insurance, and retirement and asset management solutions. Prudential plc has 20 million customers and is listed on stock exchanges in London, Hong Kong, Singapore and New York.

Prudential plc is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial, Inc., a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America or with the Prudential Assurance Company, a subsidiary of M&G plc, a company incorporated in the United Kingdom.

For more information: www.prudentialcorporation-asia.com