Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa (ASR) Initiative has said it would commit N2.5billion each to four different health initiative projects in four states.
The affected projects are construction of oncology and diagnostic centre in Ilorin, Kwara state capital; construction of Sokoto State University of College of Medical Sciences in Sokoto State; construction of Mother and Child Hospital at the State-owned Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ogun state; and to quip the new Stella Obasanjo Hospital in Benin, Edo state.
ASR Africa Initiative is the brainchild of African Industrialist, philanthropist and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu. It was established in 2021 to provide sustainable, impact-based, and innovative solutions to developmental issues affecting Health, Education and Social Development within Africa.
Speaking in Ilorin over the weekend during the official foundation laying ceremony of the ASR Africa Cancer and Diagnostic Facility in Ilorin, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the ASR Africa, Dr. Ubong Udoh, said the establishment of the four different health initiatives would go a long way to reduce medical tourism and boost healthcare delivery in the country.
According to him, “We are in Kwara state as part of our partnership with the state government and we gave them N2.5 billion grant for the tertiary heath system support and the Governor in his wisdom selected an oncological centre which we just did the ground breaking”.
He said “BUA selected four states for the grant – Sokoto, Ogun, Kwara and Edo states – for four different health initiatives and we are doing it in geopolitical zones to cover all of them, to have a balanced geographical spread.”
Udoh added that, “We are not just targeting the health sector, we have done N13.5 billion in grants to 30 universities in the education sector, we are building 16 projects internationally in the republic of Ghana and Niger and also doing a lot of social development projects which include a N10 billion grant to the security agencies and the armed forces which is being implementated as we speak. So we are intervening in the areas of health, education and social development”.
He noted that, “In terms of what warrants our interventions, we are open to take applications and so people can apply and we have some fixed grants which we do selective criteria for but we prefer to hear from states, they will tell us their needs and we will carry out a needs assessment and run it through a priotization filter for the most important and agree with the state on what to implement.
“Our yearly budget is $100 million, divided equally between Nigeria and Africa at 50-50 ratio”.
Also speaking at the event, the state governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, expressed his delight at the take-off of the project.
He said: “I commend ASR Africa, under the chairmanship of Abdul Samad Rabiu, for the take-off of the N2.5 billion oncology centre that the groundbreaking is being done today.
“We cannot thank him enough for the huge CSR gesture, in addition to others, in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. We will continue our robust partnership with ASR Africa to ensure that this project is delivered to the benefit of mankind.”
