National Covid-19 Response Centre (NACOVERC) on Wednesday received the sum of Le 1,000,000,000 (one billion Leones) from Africell, one of the leading telecoms company in Sierra Leone.
A great chunk of the money would be directed to the various districts across the country to bolster the fight against Corona Virus Disease also known as Covid-19.
The National Civic Education Council is expected to play an important part in the public education campaigns across the country.
It is hoped that with effective public education programme in the provinces, messages of Corona Virus prevention would be hammered home so that the chain of Covid-19 transmission would be cut off.
Making his address at the donation ceremony, Chief Executive Officer of Africell, Shadi Al-Gerjawi said the offer was part of a number of donations the company had made to the country since the virus broke out.
He told the audience that Africell Company had been making information on Corona Virus prevention available on conventional and social media platforms to halt the spread of the virus.
“We continue to offer information on the prevention of the virus so that the country can get back to normal so that university students can get back to college,” Mr Gerjawi said.
The Africell CEO expressed condolence for those who have lost their lives to the virus.
He pledged Africell’s continued support to the government until the virus is defeated.
An Official of National Covid-19 Response Centre registered his appreciation for the donation which he referred to as the biggest offer the company has made to the campaign against the deadly virus.
Mr Caulker also expressed happiness as the donated money would be spent most substantially in the provinces.
He was certain that if the right information is given to the people in the form of public education campaigns, the spate of denials would be considerably reduced.
“People in the provinces will stop bashing at us if they are given the right information,” he expressed hope.
The Minister of Information and Communication, Mohamed Rado Swarray was also present at the donation ceremony.
In his Keynote address, he referred to Africell Sierra Leone as one of the stakeholder communities that first responded to the call for the campaign against Covid-19.
“The telecoms company gracefully offered their services when we approached them for assistance towards the campaign against the virus,” he said.
Minister Swarray said Africell had always been in direct and close partnership with government throughout the campaign against the virus.
He urged the company to continue to be with the people of Sierra Leone who he referred to as the company’s subscriber base until the virus is defeated.
Africell Sierra Leone is one of those companies that have taken the campaign against the virus very seriously.
Since the outbreak of the virus, the company has been making a number of donations in the form of food and non-food items to see that the virus is defeated.
The company has donated personal protective gears such as hand sanitisers, soap and other hygiene materials to several communities in Sierra Leone to cut off the chain of transmission of the virus.