ExxonMobil, Aliko Dangote, Access Bank Plc alongside two other companies recently received various awards for their leadership roles in the campaign to end malaria.
Other award recipients were TANA Netting and Hippo Valley Estates Ltd.
The awards ceremony, which took place in Accra Ghana was organized by GBCHealth’s Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa (CAMA), in conjunction with the Private Sector Malaria Prevention Project (PSMP) at John Hopkins Center for Communications, UK Aid and the National Malaria Control Programmes of the Ghana Health Services.
In a release signed by Ian Matthews, Director GBCHealth, the awards were conferred on the organizations “for the significant steps they’ve taken to protect their employees and communities; as well as their contributions to sustainable progress on national and global malaria eradication goals.“
ExxonMobil Malaria Initiative; a comprehensive workplace and community malaria initiative that has reached more than 125 million people since 2000, received the Champion in sustainability Malaria Programming Award while Aliko Dangote Foundation Malaria Programme which promotes multi-sector partnerships to increase the impact of private sector support of malaria control and elimination activities was rewarded as Leading in Multisectoral Partnerships.
Access Bank for Malaria to Zero received the award for Innovation in Malaria Financing for its initiatives and leverage Innovative financing, technology and media tools to accelerate the impact of malaria behaviour change targeting grassroots and underserved communities across Nigeria.
The Local Development and Empowerment Award went to TANA Netting for DawaPlus: Made in Africa. The project places labour intensive processes of LLIN production in African countries to maximise the developmental potential of donor funds by also creating local employment opportunities.
Hippo Valley Estates Ltd for Wellness and Disease Management received the Workplace and Workforce Engagement Award for its comprehensive workplace health programme built on prevention through an integrated public health approach to communicable diseases such as malaria, TB and HIV; maternal and child health management for employees and their dependents; and onsite Clinical, diagnostic and radiology services.
Speaking at the Awards ceremony, GBCHealth’s Director, Nancy Wildfeir-Field disclosed that for more than a decade her organisation has been presenting awards to companies “that exemplify a spirit of innovation and seek to address today’s most critical global health challenges.”
According to her, each of the recipient companies is demonstrating through action “what true leadership looks like when it comes to serving their employees and communities.”
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Receiving the award on behalf of ExxonMobil, Dr. Effiem Abbah, General Medical Director, ExxonMobil Nigeria noted that his company understood that their employees would never be safe from malaria as long as it remains a threat to their communities hence their contributions to the international effort “to prevent, treat and cure malaria.”
In his own acceptance speech, Head of Sustainability at Access Bank, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan said the only way to end or reduce the prevalence of malaria was by “organising and strategically leveraging on the resources, capabilities and proven expertise of private sector organisations” which his bank has been championing through the platform of Malaria to zero.
Rune Bosselman, Director at TANA Netting who received the award on behalf of his company said; “ Local empowerment means local incentives to make the fight against malaria sustainable and winnable.”
The Keynote address at the event was given by the Ghanaian First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo.
Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa (CAMA) is a GBCHealth-led initiative to drive partnerships For Malaria Control and elimination. It was launched in 2006 by Marathon oil.