The President/Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Ltd., Aliko Dangote, has been conferred with the Commander of the Order of Merit of Niger award by the President of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum.

According to the certificate of conferment presented to Dangote in Niamey, the nation’s capital, the award was in appreciation for his services rendered to the Republic of Niger and as well as a tribute to his business acumen and philanthropy.

It would be recalled that his foundation, the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), intervened in various ways to improve healthcare and routine immunisation in Niger Republic and her neighbouring countries, Nigeria and Chad.

Dangote had earlier been conferred with the Commander of the National Order of Valour of the Republic of Cameroon, and the Grand Commander of the National Order of the Republic of Benin.

In a related development, Aliko Dangote Foundation, alongside the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and GAVI the Vaccine Alliance have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Niger Republic on a collaboration for improving the Expanded Programme on Immunisation in Diffa, Maradi and Zinder regions, which are along the country’s southern border with Nigeria.

Speaking on the MoU partnership, which was signed in May 2022, the Managing Director of Aliko Dangote Foundation said: “ADF is committing $1 million over 3 years; BMGF are providing $2 million, while GAVI is bringing in $10 million worth of vaccines under this MoU. ADF and BMGF are bringing in the money required to stimulate demand for the vaccines that GAVI is bringing in to ensure maximum uptake and coverage.”

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The MoU was signed between the government of Niger Republic, represented by the Ministry of Public Health, the Population and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and Decentralisation and the Ministry of Finance on the one hand, and the Incorporated Trustees of Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), two independent endowed charities and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, a Global Public-Private Partnership on the other hand.

GAVI, according to the MoU, will continue its support for immunisation in the selected priority districts in the three regions, in accordance with the agreement already signed with the government of Niger Republic, the strategic objectives of the Health System Strengthening Project (HSS3) grant, and the approved financing.

The objective of the MoU is to collaborate on strengthening vaccination in Niger to improve the delivery of routine vaccine services in the three regions in order to achieve full vaccination coverage of 90% of the target population by December 2024; to ensure that at least 90% of districts achieve 90% Penta 3 vaccination coverage; to vaccinate 90% of the zero doses identified; to stop poliovirus transmission and maintain polio-free status; and to ensure consistent national funding and procurement of vaccines in order to secure a sustained and steady supply of all routine vaccines throughout the country.

In August 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari praised Bill and Melinda Gates, Aliko Dangote and Emeka Offor at the formal certification of the Wild Polio Virus eradication in the African region during the virtual session of the 70th World Health Organisation (WHO) regional committee for Africa at the State House in Abuja.

His commendation came as Aliko Dangote emphasised the need for governments across Africa, particularly the federal and state governments in Nigeria, to increase their budgetary allocations to the health sector to improve basic healthcare for the people.

Dangote, in his remarks at the event, expressed deep satisfaction at the final eradication of wild polio in Nigeria, and by extension Africa after years of hard work and collaboration among stakeholders.

The billionaire businessman further pledged to devote more of his wealth to support the provision of adequate quality healthcare to curb maternal and child mortality.

The Star