Featuring
Michael Kremer
Scientific Director, Development Innovation Ventures
U.S. Agency for International Development
Presenting the Road Safety Campaign
James Habyarimana
Associate Professor of Public Policy
Georgetown University
Billy Jack
Associate Professor of Economics
Georgetown University
Hosted by
Vijaya Ramachandran
Senior Fellow
Center for Global Development
USAID launched Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) in October 2010 to find and support breakthrough solutions to important development challenges. DIV uses staged financing to award grants to new solutions, rigorously test them, and help expand those that are proven successful to become grand slams. Georgetown University has received a DIV grant to expand and rigorously test a campaign to reduce traffic accidents in Kenya. Road accidents are the second leading cause of death among people aged 5-44 in Africa, costing the continent some $10 billion annually. A pilot, in which messages were posted in more than 2,000 Kenyan minibuses encouraging passengers to "Stand up! Speak up!" against dangerous driving, cut accident insurance claims by half and claims involving injury or death by two-thirds. James Habyarimana and Billy Jack from Georgetown University are expanding the program to reach 10,000 minibuses. Michael Kremer will introduce DIV and its goals and Habyarimana and Jack will present the road safety campaign. Discussion and questions from the audience will follow.