Billionaire and Philanthropist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has pledged a donation of N200 million to the Federal Government to help in containing the spread of the Coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The pledge, which was made through his foundation, the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) was announced in a statement released by the foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Ms Zouera Youssoufou.
According to the statement, the foundation is set to support facilities that would assist prevent, assess and respond to health events at Points of Entry to ensure National Health Security with N124 million.
The Dangote Foundation is also supporting the government’s efforts in areas like surveillance and epidemiology with facilities worth about N36 million. Aside from that, N48 million would be donated for case management and training of health workers.
[READ MORE: Dangote will commence cement export from Congo to complement Nigerian exports)
What you should know: This is not the first time Dangote would be supporting the Federal Government in the fight against a global epidemic. Recall that during the Ebola crisis, the Aliko Dangote Foundation committed about N1 billion in combating the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
Youssoufou made known in the statement that during the Ebola crisis, the foundation supported the government through provision of funding for the establishment of the National Ebola Emergency Operations Centre (EEOC) in Yaba, Lagos.
She also said that the foundation provided 12 units of Thermal Cameras across Nigeria’s International Airports with training for 160 staff of the Federal Ministry of Health, Port Health Services, on using cameras.
Meanwhile, reports have it that there is a total of 90,936 confirmed cases worldwide of the Coronavirus disease. Although more than half of the cases are people who have recovered, China still has the highest number of about 80,151 people. South Korea follows China with 4,812, then Italy, Iran and Japan among others. The total death toll stands at 3,117 with 2,936 of those coming from China.
