Chairman of Aliko Dangote Foundation and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote has been named the pioneer Chair of the National End Malaria Council (NMEC), a body established by President Muhammadu Buhari to eliminate the scourge of malaria in the country. The National End Malaria Council (NMEC) was inaugurated by the President at a well-attended event in the Presidential Banquet Hall, Aso-Rock Villa, Abuja yesterday.
Dangote, who accepted the responsibility of chairing the Council, said the new function was in tandem with his current roles as the Nigerian Ambassador for Malaria, his role on the Global End Malaria Council, and with the work that his Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation is doing to mobilise the private sector to support malaria control in Nigeria in particular, and Africa at large.
While inaugurating the 16-member Council, President Buhari projected that the successful implementation of the Council’s agenda and savings from the estimated economic burden of the disease would save Nigeria about N687 billion in 2022 and N2 trillion by 2030.
The President told the Council that beyond improving the quality of life, health and well-being of Nigerians, the concerted strategy to tackle malaria had both public health as well as socio-economic benefits for Nigeria.
