- Ford Supports Nigeria’s Healthcare With Ranger
Ford Motor Company says it has offered two units of Ford Ranger to Riders for Health in Nigeria as part of its Project Better World, aimed at supporting grass roots efforts and drive sustainable community innovation.
According to the automaker, the Ford Ranger will be fitted with its data-capturing OpenXC technology, a Ford Smart Mobility project, which collects vehicle performance, environment conditions, and location data that can be used to optimise delivery of healthcare services and supplies.
It explained that its Project Better World brought together multiple organisations such as Riders in Nigeria, and social entrepreneurs to deliver health education, medication, nutrition and basic services to thousands of underserved people in remote areas.
The service, it added would be accessed using enhanced mobility and connectivity technologies from Ford vehicles.
It described Riders as a non-profit organisation seeking to make healthcare in rural African communities more accessible by providing motorcycles for medical practitioners to use for transport, adding that motorcycles would allow for quicker and more affordable transportation to remote areas across hazardous terrain.
A statement by the automaker said that the addition of two Ranger vehicles to the Riders’ fleet was invaluable to the programme’s operations in Nigeria as the new vehicles would also be used to deliver medical professionals and supplies in rural areas, as well as support Riders’ fleet of motorcycles.
The Country Director, Riders for Health Nigeria, Mr. Ajayi Kayode, was quoted as saying, “The Rangers guarantee extra capacity in mobility, allowing us more coverage. “We are going to expand our patient monitoring and evaluation activities, saving a lot of money in the process that would otherwise go towards hiring a vehicle.”
“We also hope to generate additional income by leasing the vehicles to humanitarian agencies in between our own schedules.”
The firm also said the delivery of the Ranger supported a $75,000 investment from the Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of the parent company, adding that the funds would support Riders in Nigeria with the education and training of local mechanics to service the entire Riders fleet of vehicles, including a wide range of motorcycles and cars.