Dangote Extends Fight Against COVID-19 to Kano, Engages 54gene

• Dangote Extends Fight Against COVID-19 to Kano, Engages 54gene

Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) has engaged 54Gene in a move to increase the number of testing centres in Kano following the surge in COVID-19 infection in Nigeria’s most populous state.

54Gene, an accredited diagnostics company which has already set-ups lab in Lagos and Ogun states, will conduct 400 COVID-19 tests per day and expected to increase the number of tests to 1,000 by May 10, according to the statement made public by ADF.

According to Aliko Dangote, president/chief executive of Dangote Group, who has donated N2 billion to the Federal Government through CACOVID said: “CACOVID is already setting up a 310-bed isolation centre at Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano. We are extending that capacity by another 150 beds at the Abubakar Imam Urology Centre in Kano, which is being converted into an isolation centre now. These two centres will be operational pending the final validation by the Infection Prevention and Control team, which we expect will be completed in the coming days.”

Also, speaking on the Foundation commitment to assist the Federal Government in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), ADF, Zouera Youssoufou, said the Foundation is working with the Rapid Response Teams in their efforts to identify suspected COVID-19 cases across the healthcare centres in Kano.

“ADF will immediately hand over to the Kano RRT 10 new ambulances (four that are immediately available and six over the next week), two vehicles and PPEs to support the transportation of patients from different parts of the state.”

“We are supporting training and incentives for COVID-19 health workers. We will provide hazard incentives and protections for the healthcare and lab workers who are working on the COVID-19 response. We are also providing training to them, initially online and via distance learning, and will complement this with in-person training in Kano under strict IPC protocols developed in conjunction with the NCDC.

“ADF will continue to provide PPEs to the Kano State COVID-19 Taskforce, which will then be distributed to the hospitals as appropriate. Items already supplied include coveralls, gloves, masks, respirators, goggles, boots and sanitisers.

“We are expanding the CACOVID communications strategy in Kano by adding more communications and advocacy around COVID-19 prevention across radio, TV and traditional and community leaders,” she said.

The Executive Governor of Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje, who commended ADF for their efforts at curtailing COVID-19 in the state, said: “We are very grateful for the mobile testing centre which will launch with 400 samples per day and after a week, increase to 1,000 tests per day. It is now left for us to intensify efforts to collect samples. We will ensure that all that 44 local government councils have collection centres. Here in the metropolitan local government, we will have hundreds of collection centres because this is where the majority of the population is.”