The Malaria-to-Zero Initiative, a joint campaign between Access Bank of Nigeria and Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, has a goal to bring down the level of malaria incidence in Nigeria by leveraging private sector resources and capabilities.
The actual goal is to avert at least one million malaria cases and deaths by 2020.
In a statement, Access Bank said the initiative aligns with its desire in a healthy populace which is a prerequisite to creating wealth and financial freedom in the society.
“From the socio-economic to the political, every aspect of living is affected by good health – or the lack of it – and it is for this reason that the bank under the leadership of Herbert Wigwe has risen to the challenge of eradicating Malaria, that once terrifying scourge of sub-Saharan Africa,” the bank said in a statement.
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Speaking on the strides made by the programme, Herbert Wigwe, GMD and CEO, said:
“The contributions we have made through Malaria-to-Zero Initiative is just our way of clamping down on malaria. It is our responsibility as a people-focused organisation to throw our weight behind all efforts to see that Nigerians enjoy healthy lives in addition to owning wealth.”
Access Bank has followed through by supporting the network of technical and medical expertise gathered by the Private Sector Health Alliance to provide on the ground and reliable intervention programs.
Since conception, about 273,000 people have been reached, many for the first time in rural communities of Nigeria, not just with testing and treatment, but with potentially life-saving information that has been put to use to ensure that malaria is preventable. 357 community groups have been empowered and engaged with the technical capacity to roll out useful community interventions. Over 1 million people have been reached across the length and breadth of Nigeria with information, education, and communication materials. Social media has been a useful strategy and as such, over 6 million impressions have been made across several platforms.
