- Access Bank to Tackle Malaria With N50m
Access Bank Plc has created a financing platform that seeks to stimulate private sector resources and capabilities for sustained support towards averting at least one million malaria cases and deaths by 2020.
The Chief Executive Officer, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, said that the action was the first step towards complementing the Federal Government’s effort in achieving its malaria pre-elimination goals by 2020 tagged: ‘Malaria-To-Zero’ initiative.
“To ensure that we save at least one million lives and we don’t miss the 2020 target, Access Bank has rolled out N50m for the implementation of the malaria pre-elimination goals,” he said.
Wigwe spoke at a programme to introduce the platform to Nigerians, saying that Huawei Technologies and the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria would collaborate with the bank on the project.
According to him, the platform will integrate existing and new initiatives on eradicating malaria, “and thus build synergies that produce impact far greater than what can be attained with fragmented efforts.”
He said, “While understanding that malaria is a completely preventable and treatable life-threatening disease, which is responsible for significant loss of lives, especially of women and children globally, Access Bank has also caught the attention of Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company, Huawei Technologies.
“The company (Huawei) is also making commitment to be part of impact makers to eradicate malaria totally as they believe that collaborations and platforms like this are key catalysts to accelerating the impact of malaria intervention.”