A Presidential applause for Kosmos Energy’s support in fight against Covid-19
The new coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), breaking out in late 2019 and with its origins disputed as yet whether it be from China’s Wuhan Province or elsewhere, remains stoically set on the drawing boards of nations across the world, leaving in its trail untold pain and hardships on the world’s citizens, bringing socio-economic activities to a near standstill and setting in motion a global recession.
While the cost of the pandemic has been snowballing, the immediate and urgent lesson for all is that no one nation or government, big or small, is able to fend off the debilitating effects - socially and economically - of the pandemic all alone. Ghana of course, has been no exception.
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Corporate support
Among other containment measures, Ghana set up a COVID-19 Fund to galvanize assistance from the corporate world and public spirited individuals, to assist in mitigating the pangs of the pandemic.
Kosmos Energy, Ghana, a leading deepwater exploration and production company focused on meeting the world's growing demand for energy, responded positively to the call to “Come over to Macedonia and help us,” marshalling its financial muscles to offer substantial support in the fight against the pandemic.
The good corporate citizen that Kosmos Energy is, responsive to its social, cultural and environmental commitments to the communities in which it operates, as well as in its economic and financial obligations to its shareholders and immediate stakeholders, the support was indeed noteworthy.
DNA/RNA extraction machine
In order to sustain and win the fight against the pandemic, Kosmos Energy delivered to the Ghana Health Service an automated DNA/RNA extraction machine, along with 700 RNA extraction test kits and 1,500 swabs and transporters last year estimated at $50,000.
Again in the face of the ominous threat posed by Delta variant of the virus, the company moved in to donate a modern refrigerated Cold Van worth $50,000 to the Ghana Health Service to support Covid-19 vaccine distribution. The cold van, rated as one of the best on the market, is a 2021 Hyundai HD 45 Truck with an installed Xarios 350 refrigeration system.
Cold van
The cold van enables the safest preservation of vaccines at required temperatures until they are administered or delivered to destination. The donation of the refrigerated cold van was a critical intervention as it enhanced the capacity of the country to procure and vaccines – remember that once the vaccines arrive in a country, they need to be preserved under strict conditions. Remember also that countries were denied vaccines and could not deploy vaccines because they lacked the capacity to preserve same.
Presidential commendation
The intervention of Kosmos Energy duly caught the attention of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who during the 26th Covid-19 Update to the nation on July 25, duly commended the company for the recent support.
For his part, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, said they are pleased with the support from the leading deepwater oil exploration and production company, which did not only focus on meeting the world's growing demand for energy but lend substantial support in efforts to improve public health.
Reaching 16 regions
Mr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director General of the Ghana Health Service, said: “We thank Kosmos Energy for supporting our work to improve public health. This gesture of support came at the right time – when the number of COVID-19 cases are increasing and we need to transport vaccine doses to all 16 regions of the country.”
The Ghana Health Service operated two temperature-controlled vehicles and needed additional facilities to aid its immunization programme for Covid-19 and other diseases. The contribution of Kosmos Energy at this critical period, the director said, has been phenomenal and the items donated apt.
Critical task
Kosmos Energy’s Senior Vice-President and Head of the Ghana Business Unit, Mr Joe Mensah describes “distributing the Covid-19 vaccine to as many people as possible” as a critical task during the ongoing pandemic.
“We at Kosmos Energy are pleased to do our part to support the Ghana Health Service as it works to vaccinate the country’s citizenry”, he said.
Vaccines play a key role in helping the public healthcare system, and with numerous disease programmes requiring vaccination aside from the Covid-19, vaccine transporting channels are of vital importance.
It can be a huge financial undertaking to procure vaccines, and proper preservation means no room for temperature fluctuations. Kudos are in order then, to Kosmos Energy and all its partners.
