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Pfizer Foundation Donates $6.4m For Infectious Disease Control In Nigeria, Ghana

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The Pfizer Foundation, an institution that provides grants and makes investments towards improving health systems in low- and middle-income countries, has donated $6.4 million in grants to address critical infectious disease challenges in Nigeria and Ghana.
The organisation said the effort is part of a long-term commitment to help protect underserved people in the United States of America, and around the world.
According to the President, The Pfizer Foundation, Caroline Roan, grants to CARE, International Rescue Committee (IRC) and PATH will support programmes to reduce childhood mortality, improve maternal health and address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the two countries.
“The global pandemic has magnified the disproportionate burden of infectious diseases, particularly in resource-limited settings where people have inadequate access to essential health services,” she said.
Roan, who doubles as the senior vice president, Global Health and Social Impact, Pfizer Incorporations, noted that her organisation is proud to support the critical work of their partners in West Africa as they create localised approaches to bring quality health services to the community level and address persistent inequities in infectious disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Roan noted that globally, nearly eight million people lose their lives each year from infectious diseases that could be avoided with access to basic healthcare, and that this happens often in the most underserved communities.
She added that out of those lives lost, more than 2 million are children under-five, almost half of which she said takes place in West Africa.
“Additionally, the growing risk of AMR is already having a profound impact on people today and, if left unchecked, by 2050 could lead to 10 million deaths from resistant infections each year,” she added.
Through the Infectious Disease Impact Initiative, the Pfizer Foundation has been partnering to create sustainable solutions that help strengthen healthcare systems in West Africa and around the world.
One of the organisation’s projects, which is tagged; “CARE,” is targeted at reducing under-five mortality through a community-based care model that delivers a core package of quality child health services and enhances community-based surveillance to improve the detection of infectious diseases in Nigeria’s Yobe State.
The IRC project develops a functional and effective AMR stewardship programme within health facilities, aimed at reducing child mortality, in North-east Nigeria’s Borno State that will serve as a model for other humanitarian health programmes, where crisis has contributed to a growing number of drug dispensaries with undertrained staff and knowledge gaps at the community level.
The third project, the group noted, is PATH which is aimed at reducing newborn morbidity and mortality in Ghana by improving diagnosis and management of maternal infections, through the integration of point-of-care diagnostics and community-based screenings of infectious diseases as part of antenatal care.
“Consistent with our responsibility to deliver breakthrough medicines and vaccines into patients’ hands across the world, we collaborate with health care providers, governments, and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care,” said Olayinka Subair, country manager and cluster lead, West Africa, Pfizer Incorporations.

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Council Boss Impeached 48 Hours To LG Polls In Katsina

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The Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government Council of Katsina State, Maharazu Dayi, has been impeached.
Maharazu Dayi was impeached yesterday by 11 out of 12 councillors, barely two days before the local government elections in the State.
The councillors reportedly took action following allegations of misconduct and poor governance against the chairman after a dispute over the distribution of the council’s Paris Club funds.
The development has sent shock waves across the local government area, especially as the impeached chairman is among those who failed to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the forthcoming election.

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Association Tasks Fubara On Rumuwoji Market Phase Three

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The Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association,  Mile 1, Port Harcourt, has urged the state government to utilise the available spaces within the area to build phase 3 of the Rumuwoji Market in order to solve the ever increasing needs of traders.
The association, which said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, also described as a welcomed development the decision by the state Governor to open the phase 2 of the market for business.
According to the association, “We consider it as an answer to the various cries of the people, because he is a man on a mission who is out to place the interest of Rivers people first. It is a dream come true for the first time for the market to be dully allocated and open for business”
Chairman of the association, Hon Godspower Wobo, who briefed the press shortly after a meeting of the association in Port Harcourt, also urged the public to disregard the activities of some persons whose stock in trade is to cause disaffection in the market.
He said the attention of the association was drawn to the activities of some strange fellows who went about misforming the people about situation in the market, stressing that apart from his association, no other group exists in the market except subdiary unions.
Wobo  also tasked the reallocation committee to tread with caution so as to avoid being deceived by any group.
According to him, time has come for the state government to engage in robust discussion with aggrieved shop owners who went to court and those who paid monies to the state coffers and issued with allocation certificates for the overall interest of peace.
He also advised the public to deal directly with his association, stressing that the meeting was to review activities for the last year as well as unveil their new Constitution.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the association, Deacon Kenneth Eze urged the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to open the phase 2 of the market, as it is long overdue.
Eze who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association also urged the public to do business with only the Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association as it is the only union recognised by the traders.

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AfDB President Denies 2027 Presidential Ambition

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The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has debunked reports linking him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Reacting to the report on his X handle yesterday, following a recent interview with Arise TV, the AfDB boss said his quotes were misrepresented and misinterpreted in several Nigerian media reports.
However, the AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for President.
“A segment of my recent interview on @Arise TV has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.”
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.

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