United Nations Children’s Fund received the delivery of 115,800 COVID-19 test kits to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
These supplies were funded by IHS Nigeria, the Nigerian subsidiary of IHS Towers.
Testing remains the mainstay of the response led by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the first step towards diagnosing the infection.
Tests enable health officials to understand the COVID-19 status of an individual and link that person to care, support and treatment while contributing to the protection of families and communities.
NCDC Director General, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said: “Testing remains a core strategy of Nigeria’s response to COVID-19.
“This is critical for understanding the burden of the disease on our population and targeting our response activities accordingly.
“The primary goal of the Nigerian Government is to control the spread of this disease.
“This donation from IHS Nigeria through UNICEF will contribute to the national stockpile of test kits managed by NCDC, and support efforts of the growing network of accredited laboratories across the country for the testing of COVID-19.
“We are grateful for the continued support from UNICEF, IHS Towers and other partners.”
IHS Towers has been a strong and continuing partner of UNICEF.
At the onset of the coronavirus in Nigeria in late February, IHS Nigeria provided funding to UNICEF to urgently procure essential supplies and equipment with which UNICEF supported the Government of Nigeria in its COVID-19 response.
UNICEF Country Representative, Peter Hawkins, said: “UNICEF is deeply appreciative of IHS Towers’ commitment to being a partner in UNICEF’s work in Nigeria.
“Once more, IHS has shown great generosity in supporting UNICEF’s ongoing efforts to work closely with the Government of Nigeria in the fight against COVID-19.
“I am very delighted to receive this huge contribution from IHS Towers, the benefit of which will reach many more children and their families.”
Chief Executive Officer of IHS Nigeria, Mohamad Darwish, said: “We are proud to have played an important role in supporting the Government and our communities where we operate to provide crucial tools needed to fight this pandemic.
“We understand this virus is here to stay for the foreseeable future, but are confident that with our support, and that of our other private sector colleagues, we are helping to manage and mitigate the impact of the virus in our country.”
This recent support of essential tests makes IHS Towers the biggest private sector donor for UNICEF Nigeria’s emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
