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Nigeria Receives First Set of MTN’s 1.4 Million Doses of Vaccines

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Delivery is part of the allocation from the African Union (AU) Vaccination Programme in collaboration with MTN

The Nigerian government has taken delivery of the first set of 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines out of a total of 1.4 million doses designated for Nigeria by the AU. The vaccines are a combination of doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility, and from the African Union’s (AU) COVID-19 vaccination programme, towards which the MTN Group contributed $25 million. The vaccines will be distributed amongst health workers in Nigeria by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency.

Commenting on the vaccines, Dr Faisal Shuaib, Director-General of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA) said, “On behalf of health care workers in Nigeria, we commend the efforts of the Nigerian government and the African Union in the fight against COVID-19, and we thank MTN for their collaboration. The arrival of these vaccines is a major step, as we try to stay ahead of the virus. We need all the collaboration we can get, and I implore more organisations to join this drive for the Nigerian people.”

Also Speaking, Director General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu expressed appreciation on behalf of the government. “The donation of COVID-19 vaccines is truly helpful, and we are grateful. We can only succeed against COVID-19 when we fight together. These vaccines will go a long way in protecting health workers, who are on the frontline, and need all the protection they can get at this critical moment, hence the prioritisation of their vaccinations.”

Expanding on the power of partnership and collaboration, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola said, “I thank the Nigerian government and the African Union for the opportunity they granted MTN to collaborate and contribute towards the delivery of these vaccines. The ongoing threat of COVID-19 requires a vast and accelerated effort by both the private and public sectors.  Partnerships like this practically demonstrate what can achieved when we work together for Africa’s (and indeed Nigeria’s) progress. We are truly privileged to have been able to play our part in contributing towards government’s efforts to protect and save lives.”

At the start of the pandemic , MTN Nigeria collaborated with government to curb the spread of the virus, in large part via the introduction of MTN’s Y’ello Hope platform. Y’ello Hope encompasses a broad range of interventions and programmes valued at approximately N25 billion, that are designed to offer relief where it is needed most. These are aimed at supporting Nigeria’s people, customers, communities, and the various levels of government.

Through Y’ello Hope the company provided free-to-access services (including SMS and data) to the most vulnerable, facilitated zero-rated access to healthcare websites, deployed the ‘Wear-it-­for-me’ campaign to help create awareness around the importance of wearing masks, and made a N1 billion donation to the private sector-led Coalition Against COVID-19 CACOVID).

In addition, the MTN Foundation delivered more than 70,000 pieces of essential Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to Nigeria, through MTN’s collaboration with its key partners, is another step taken as part of the Y’ello Hope platform, and MTN will continue to seek out ways to make a meaningful difference in Nigeria.

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IT in Healthcare

i3 Africa Reiterates Commitment To Financing African Startups In Health Sector

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Investing in Innovation Africa (i3), a pan-African initiative for start-ups building the future of healthcare supply chains, has reiterated its commitment to financing African startups in healthcare supply chains. This is even as it is calling for leading innovators to join its second cohort. 

Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and sponsored by AmerisourceBergen, Merck Sharpe & Dohme (MSD), Microsoft and Chemonics, i3 is supporting the commercialization of 60 promising early- and growth-stage companies. The programme connects African-led supply chain innovators to donors, industry, and government partners, to power start-ups’ growth and impact. Selected start-ups receive targeted introductions to customers to support commercialization and impact, a $50,000 grant, and tailored investment readiness support. i3 is particularly focused on selecting women-led companies and those operating in Francophone regions.  

The first cohort, selected in September 2022, featured 31 innovators enhancing access to health products across more than 24,000 hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies in 26 African countries. To date, the i3 program has facilitated 200+ introductions between the cohort, the sponsors, and potential partners such as USAID, The Global Fund, Benshi.aI, i+Solutions, Chemonics, John Snow Inc., FHI360, Madiro Foundation, government representatives from Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health, representatives from Ekiti and Lagos state, and more. 

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Tech-enabled healthcare platform, CloudClinic Debuts in Lagos

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CloudClinic Limited (CCL), a digital healthcare service company, has launched its cloud-based healthcare solution called CloudClinic to facilitate virtual consultation between patients and licensed medical practitioners. The platform makes it possible for anyone to access affordable health care from the comfort of their homes, offices or on the go with the aid of their internet-enabled devices.

“We are delighted to introduce CloudClinic, a suite of mobile platform, web and API services specially designed to seamlessly connect healthcare seekers in Nigeria to licensed healthcare services providers such as doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and medical laboratories,” said Ifeanyi Aneke, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cloud Clinic Limited, at the formal unveiling of the product in Lagos.

Aneke said CloudClinic was motivated by a burning desire to bring quality and affordable healthcare to the ‘doorstep’ of every Nigerian. “We believe that healthcare should be convenient and accessible to every Nigerian. This belief birthed the development of our cloud-based healthcare platform,” he said.

Partnering with over a thousand licensed medical laboratories, pharmacies, and hospitals across Nigeria, CloudClinic is designed to improve access to healthcare while making it convenient.

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MTN Foundation, NDLEA Intensify Fight Against Substance Abuse

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MTN Foundation in partnership with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified fight against substance abuse in Nigeria, by engaging on an advocacy walk in Abuja.

Speaking on the importance of the advocacy walk, Director, MTN Foundation, Dennis Okoro said “There is a developing trend of substance abuse among Nigerian youths that is becoming worrisome, and if we don’t care about the young ones, we would be mortgaging their future. At the MTN Foundation, we try to act when we see things that are not going right and we do not act alone, we collaborate with stakeholders to achieve our goals.”

Director-General/Agency Secretary, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Shadrach Haruna while commenting on the advocacy walk, implored other organizations to partner with the government in the fight against substance abuse.

“The NDLEA is committed to the fight against drug abuse and we appreciate the efforts of the MTN Foundation to collaborate with us on its ASAP campaign. We also implore other corporate organizations to join the government in the fight against drugs, because it is a fight for everyone and not just the government” he said.

The advocacy walk, which is a part of the activities for the 2022 MTN Anti-Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) campaign, had a massive turnout of youths. Also present were officers from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), National Youth Corps members, officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps, students of Funtaj international School, and Intelligence Quotient international school.

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