MTN Foundation donates GH¢5m to National COVID-19 Trust Fund
The MTN Foundation has donated GH¢5 million to the National COVID-19 Trust Fund.
The donation, according to the company, was made in response to a request by the trust fund.
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The latest donation adds to the GH¢5 million worth of logistic support in personal protective equipment and testing accessories from the telecommunication service provider to the trust fund in August 2020 towards the fight against the virus locally.
It also adds to the $5 million MTN donated to the African Union Vaccination Role Out Programme across 55 member states to cover seven million vaccine doses for health workers.
Presenting the cheque, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN, Mr Selorm Adadevoh, noted that that was a way of enabling the trust fund to carry on with its objectives to keep the society safe from the virus and to also provide the needed education for institutions, families and individuals.
He said MTN had demonstrated over the years in practical terms its commitment to support state institutions, especially in the areas of health, education and agriculture, with both financial and material interventions to surmount challenges to improve the wellbeing of the society.
Fight against virus
Mr Adadevoh commended the government for its efforts in the fight against the virus through the trust fund and the “careful distribution” of resources and cash to groups and individuals most affected by the pandemic.
He urged the corporate society to lead the fight against the virus from the front by adhering to stringent protocols, and said MTN had since enforced the protocols at all its branches and sales points.
He said the company further launched the "Be wise” and “One More Push” campaigns to educate the public to wear the mask and keep to protocols to avoid the disease as their contribution to the national effort.
He pledged the foundation’s continued support to the trust fund to enable it to impact the society through advocacy and education and urged other institutions to join in the fight.
Commendation
The Chairperson of the National COVID-19 Trust Fund, Mrs Sophia Akuffo, said MTN's quick response to the request for support, despite its previous gestures, was commendable.
She said the fund would support various groups and individuals who had requested for financial support for the construction of oxygen plants since oxygen had now become an essential lifesaving medical consumable, especially in the fight against this virus.
She appealed to the adult population in the country to get vaccinated against the virus to reduce the burden of the disease in the society.
"We will intensify the education and information sensitisation campaign on the need to continue the adherence to the protocols and the need for all to be vaccinated,” she said.
She urged the public to be disciplined with the hygiene protocols in the wake of the new variant of the virus.
"Until the last man or woman is vaccinated, the fund will not stop the fight against the pandemic," she stressed.