Working to End Malaria Scourge

The Aliko Dangote Foundation Malaria Programme, an entity by the Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote,  was one of five organisations recently honoured in Accra, Ghana for their effort in tackling Malaria in Africa. The honour came in form of an award presented to the foundation by GBCHealth’s Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa (CAMA), alongside the Private Sector Malaria Prevention Project (PSMP) at John Hopkins Center for Communication, UK Aid and the National Malaria Control Programme of the Ghana Health Services.  The award was conferred on the Dangote Foundation Malaria Programme for its leading work in multisectoral partnerships. It wasn’t the only one honoured. The list includes ExxonMobil,  TANA Netting, Access Bank and Hippo Valley Estates Ltd. A press release on the event said the awardees  “have taken significant steps to protect their employees and communities and to contribute to sustainable progress on national and global malaria eradication goals.”

 ExxonMobil was awarded for championing sustainability Malaria programming; TANA Netting for DawaPlus: Made in Africa,  its work in local development and empowerment; Access Bank for innovation in Malaria financing,  and  Hippo Valley Estates Ltd. for wellness and disease management, workplace and workforce engagement. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, First Lady of the Republic of Ghana, witnessed the event.

Speaking on the award,  Effiem Abbah, General Medical Director for ExxonMobil Nigeria, said: “We are honored by this award. We understand that our employees will never be safe from malaria as long as it remains a threat to their communities. That is why ExxonMobil contributes business expertise and resources to the international effort to prevent, treat and cure malaria,”

Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, Head of Sustainability at Access Bank, pointed out that “the only way to end or at least reduce the prevalence of malaria is by organizing and strategically leveraging on the resources, capabilities and the proven expertise of private sector organizations. This is what Access Bank has been championing using the platform of Malaria to Zero.” Access Bank earned the award for what the organisers  described as “an initiative that leverages innovative financing, technology, and media tools to accelerate the impact of malaria behavior change targeting grassroots and underserved communities across Nigeria.”

Nancy Wildfeir-Field, GBCHealth’s President, said the awards were in line with the efforts to combat Malaria: “For more than a decade GBCHealth has been presenting awards to companies that exemplify a spirit of innovation and seek to address today’s most critical global health challenges. Each of these companies is demonstrating through action what true leadership looks like when it comes to serving their employees and communities.”