Dangote bags ABU top corporate award

• Foundation pledges focus on healthcare delivery

AFRICA’S foremost philanthropist and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangotehas bagged Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) top Corporate Award.

The Ahmadu Bello University Alumni Association conferred the Award on him.

The National President of ABU Alumni, Prof Tijani Mora said the 2018 Corporate Award was presented to the top industrialist in view of the numerous contributions of his conglomerate to the development of the educational sector in Nigeria.

Mora said the interventions of the Alikodangote Foundation in the educational sector over the years have been unprecedented through, especially, the sponsorship of various scholarship programmes.

The Group’s Executive Director Stakeholders Management and Corporate Communication Engr Ahmed Mansur who received the award on behalf of Africa’s richest person Alikodangote, said the award will spur the conglomerate to scale up its intervention programmes in all sectors.

Mr. Mansur, while thanking the Association, said the Dangote Group will not rest on its oars in ensuring that the educational sector achieved its rightful place in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Aliko Dangote Foundation has told stakeholders on health that Universal Healthcare Coverage(uhc) is one of the top priorities of the Foundation.

This is coming as the Federal Government through the Minister of Health, and other stakeholders lauded the Dangote Foundation for its positive impact on the country’s health sector.

Ms Zouera Youssoufou who was speaking at the Thisday Newspaper Healthcare Policy Dialogue Thursday in Abuja, said the Foundation will continue to work with governments and civil society organizations for the development of impactful health sector programmes in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

According to her, the theme of the 2nd Thisday Dialogue with the theme: ‘The Journey to Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria’ is very apt.

Aliko Dangote Foundation is one of Nigeria’s biggest private sector donor to the health sector.

Ms Youssoufou said the Foundation over the years have expended billions of naira in supporting the causes of health through its strides to eradicate Wild Polio Virus in Nigeria. She said the Foundation has made significant social investments in health, education, economic empowerment and disaster relief.

Recently the Foundation made a pledge to commit $100million to fight malnutrition in some parts of the country, she said.

Ms Youssoufou said the Foundation is also trying to woo other private sector operators to commit at least one percent of their profit after tax to support the health sector.

The Minister also launched the implementation of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) tagged HUWE,