The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) has commenced the construction of a state-of-the-art N2.5 billion Oncology Center in Ilorin, aimed at serving the West African region.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria report, this healthcare facility is one of ASR Africa’s numerous philanthropic initiatives dedicated to making a lasting impact on health, education, and social development throughout Africa.
Partnership for Healthcare advancement
Dr. Ubong Udoh, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ASR Africa, revealed that this project is part of a collaborative effort with the Kwara Government. ASR Africa provided an N2.5 billion grant to support the state’s tertiary health system, with a focus on establishing an oncological centre.
The initiative covers four states—Sokoto, Ogun, Kwara, and Benin—with a total grant allocation of N10 billion, strategically distributed across geopolitical zones. ASR Africa’s philanthropic endeavours extend beyond healthcare, encompassing education, social development projects, and support for security agencies and the armed forces.
- In his words, “We gave them a N2.5 billion grant for tertiary health system support and the Governor in his wisdom selected an oncological centre which we just did the groundbreaking for.
- “BUA selected four states for the grant; Sokoto, Ogun, Kwara and Benin for the total amount of N10 billion. And we are doing it in each geopolitical zone to cover all of them to have a balanced geographical spread.
- “We are not just targeting the health sector, we have done N13.5 billion in grants to 30 universities in the education sector, and we are building 16 projects internationally in Ghana and Niger.
- “We are also doing a lot of social development projects which include a N10 billion grant to the security agencies and the armed forces, which is being implemented as we speak. So we intervene in the areas of health, education and social development.”
ASR Africa’s philanthropic initiatives and impact Udoh clarified that ASR Africa is open to receiving applications for interventions, including both open applications and fixed grants with specific criteria.
According to him, the foundation prefers to engage with states directly, allowing them to communicate their specific needs, which are then assessed for consideration.
He mentioned that ASR Africa has an annual budget of $100 million, evenly distributed between Nigeria and Africa on a 50-50 basis.
Udoh stressed that this initiative is expected to generate employment opportunities, helping to combat the ongoing “Japa syndrome” in the state and fostering economic empowerment. Furthermore, Udoh noted that ASR Africa is actively involved in various projects, such as the construction of a 3,000-seat amphitheatre at the University of Ilorin and infrastructure support for polytechnics in Kwara.
- His words: “So this has a ripple effect for creating jobs, empowering people and improving healthcare outcomes across the country.
- “We are building a 3,000 amphitheatre at the University of Ilọrin and we have also gotten some applications from some polytechnics in Kwara for infrastructure support and everything is being reviewed before approval by the ASR board.
- “We have received a lot of applications from Kwara and there are already two ongoing, the state is not doing badly.”