Dangote Foundation - Afrikan Heroes

Dangote Foundation Donates Towards Fight Against Coronavirus in Nigeria

March 4, 2020

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Aliko Dangote Foundation Ms. Zouera Youssoufou

The battle to contain the Covid-19 Virus in Nigeria received a boost today with the donation N200 million by the Dangote Foundation. The pledge is in support current effort of the Nigerian government towards curbing the spread of Corona Virus or Covid-19 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, Nigeria.

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 Tuesday, March 3, 2020 said the donation was 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.

To this extent, 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. Ms 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.

Speaking also, 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 lack of enough isolation centres, contact tracing, training of volunteers, international cooperation, fake news and panic, among others.

Mr. Noel Chisaka of the Regional Disease Surveillance System Enhancement Project 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 include: 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.

It would be recalled that 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.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Dangote Foundation Empowers 106,000 Women with N1.1 billion

September 24, 2019

The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) has continued its empowerment projects across the continent of Africa with an additional empowerment of 106,000 women across four states in Northern Nigeria with the sum of N1.1 billion. This present gesture is in continuation of the Foundation’s micro-grant programme aimed at poverty amelioration through economic empowerment of women.

Alahaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman Dangote Group

Add to this, the Foundation has began the identification of eligible beneficiaries, towards the implementation of the programme across these states and will be actively targeting and empowering 23,000

women in Sokoto State, 34,000 women in Katsina State, 21,000 women in Kebbi State and 28,000 women in Zamfara State, all in northern Nigeria.
Since the programme was launched in 2011 starting with Kano State, the home state of Aligo Dangote, it has gulped about N10 Billion with a special emphasis on indigenous and vulnerable women. According to sources at the Foundation, efforts are being made to extend the programme to cover 774 Local Government areas in Nigeria. So far, 334,500 women and youths from Kano, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Lagos, Nasarawa and Niger States have benefitted from the programme.
The scheme also provides recipients with a one-time, un-conditional N10,000.00 cash grant to meet immediate household consumption and economic needs.

As way as doable, participants also receive training tailored to bolster their income-generating activities which are critical for the welfare of millions of Nigerians.
Selection is predicated on communities with primary thought for vulnerable girls, food distressed households with infant or children under-five year old, disabled, divorcee, widow with multiple dependents, extremely poor residents in these communities.

The programme is enforced in partnership with states governments to enrich their economic authorization and impoverishment reduction drive across the country.

From 2016, the Foundation automated the beneficiary enrollment and payment processes.

Also, additionally to the money grants, beneficiaries were also given mobile phones and SIM cards by the Foundation.
In the last 2 states, the theme was enforced, the Foundation partnered with a number one depository financial institution to open bank accounts and supply ATM card for every beneficiary.

Kelechi Deca