The Aliko Dangote
Foundation (ADF) has pledged the sum of N200million to support current effort
of the Federal government towards curbing the spread of Coronavirus in the
country.
ADF’s intervention is considered the largest
single donation by a corporate organization in the country to contain the
spread of Coronavirus since Nigeria recorded its first index case last month in
Lagos.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive
Officer of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Ms. Zouera Youssoufou, represented by
the Health and Nutrition Programme Officer Maryam Shehu-Buhari, at a donor
coordinating meeting in Abuja on March 3, said the donation is part of the
Foundation’s cardinal objective of partnering with governments at all levels
against the dreaded disease in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
The Foundation is also the only Nigerian donor
that attended the meeting and made monetary pledge.
She said the Aliko Dangote Foundation has
earmarked N124million that will support facilities to help prevent, assess and
respond to health events at Point of Entry to ensure National Health Security.
Youssoufou also highlighted other areas of
intervention to include surveillance and epidemiology, where facilities worth N36million
will be provided by the Foundation to support government’s effort.
According to her, the ADF will also donate
N48million for case management training of health workers.
Speaking at the meeting facilitated by World
Bank, the Country Director represented by the Operations Manager Ms. Kathleen
Whimp identified four thematic areas to tackling the spread of COVID 19. These
are: Regular communication with the public, contact tracing, training of
volunteers and international co-operations.
The Director, Health Emergency Preparedness and
Response of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. John Oladejo,
said some of the challenges, going forwarded include inadequte isolation centers,
contact tracing, training of volunteers, international cooperation, fake news
and panic, among others.
The Regional Disease Surveillance System
Enhancement Project, Mr. Noel Chisaka, commended the Aliko Dangote Foundation
for the contribution and encouraged others to join in the fight against
Covid-19.
Other donors invited to the meeting includeed
WHO, UNICEF, BMGF, RTSL, EU, USAID, US CDC, DFID, Public Health England, GIZ,
JICA, Africa CDC, WAHO, PHI, MTN, Red Cross, IFRC and AFENET.
According to reports, there are a total of
90,936 confirmed cases worldwide – although more than half of those (47,995)
have already recovered.
The biggest numbers
are still by far in mainland China (80,151), followed by South Korea (4,812),
Italy (2,036) and Iran (1,501). Japan has 274 confirmed cases, France 191,
Germany 165, Spain 120, Singapore 108, US 106, and Hong Kong 100. There are
also cases in South America, Africa and Australia.
The total death toll stands at 3,117 with 2,936
of those coming from China. The countries with the next highest numbers are
Iran (66), Italy (52) and South Korea (29).There have also been deaths in
Japan, the US, France, Australia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand.
The Aliko Dangote Foundation also committed
N1billion in the fight against the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Africa,
helping to build resilience and strengthen Nigeria’s health system in a manner
expected to endure beyond the Ebola crisis period.
The Foundation’s support during the Ebola crisis
ensured the establishment of the National Ebola Emergency Operations Centre (EEOC)
in Yaba, Lagos; provision of 12 units of thermal cameras across Nigeria’s
International Airports with training for 160 staff/personnel of the Federal
Ministry of Health, Port Health Services Department, on the use of the thermal
cameras; provision of W.H.O-certified Personal Protective Equipment, PPEs
and comprehensive logistics support for the returnee volunteers on Ebola
intervention across countries ravaged by Ebola.