Beatrice Jedy-Agba

Beatrice Jedy-Agba is the Executive Secretary of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other Related Matters (NAPTIP) in Nigeria.

Appointed to her post in 2011, Beatrice Jedy-Agba has overseen the operations of NAPTIP since then. The organization runs nine shelters throughout Nigeria, and provides services to survivors through the shelters and in other ways. They have helped thousands of survivors. The organization works with law enforcement to increase their ability to identify victims, and track cases of trafficking, as well as protect victims. Under the able leadership of Ms. Jedy-Agba, the organization has helped coordinate anti-trafficking government efforts in Nigeria, and formed essential partnerships with various civil society actors. Her voice has brought these issues to the forefront of political discourse. While there is a significant North-South pathway of human migration, she has also focused on repatriation of those survivors who fall outside of that, including survivors from West Africa. Mobilizing not only government actors, but also the public through awareness campaigns, Ms. Jedy-Agba has been a powerful advocate for combating modern slavery. In 2014, she was honored as a "TIP Report Hero Acting to End Modern Slavery" in recognition of her efforts to combat human trafficking.. 

In the 2014 TIP Report, Nigeria was listed as a Tier 2 Country. It is a source, transit, and destination country for both forced labor and sex trafficking. Large Nigerian gangs specialize in the trade of human beings for sexual exploitation, especially to Italy and the Czech Republic. Forced begging is common in the cities, and there are instances of children being used as soldiers by groups such as Boko Haram. While the government's prosecutorial efforts increased, and NAPTIP continued to be fairly effective, necessary legislation has yet to be passed.