As the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic gathers momentum across the globe, a Chinese conglomerate, Guangdong New South Group recently donated COVID-19 materials and anti-malaria drugs worth 25m to the Ogun State government in order to nip the virus in the bud and stem the spread of malaria which kills millions annually in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking during the presentation recently at the office of the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, the deputy governor thanked New South group describing the move as timely.
Reacting, Assistant President, Gwangdong New South Group, Mr. Wilson Wu stated that the move was in line with the corporate social responsibility of Guangdong New South Group against the backdrop of the deadly coronavirus.
He said: “New South Group always upholds the mission of taking public health as its own responsibility. There is fear and apprehension across the world right now because of the second wave of the Covid 19 pandemic which has led to lockdowns in parts of the world. As a responsible corporate citizen, New South Group is determined to take steps to protect its host community because we are part of Ogun State. In the above light today we are making the donation of Covid 19 materials worth N25m which includes face masks, gloves and the anti-malaria drug, Artequick. It is our belief that this will go a long way in stemming the spread of the deadly virus which has killed thousands across he globe.”
Reacting, the Hon. Comm. of Health, Mrs. Tomi Coker thanked New South Group for the kind gesture. She said: “We would like to thank New South Group for the donations especially against the backdrop of the anticipated second Covid 19 wave. A look at the donations reveal that we have masks, gloves and anti malarial drugs. The face masks and gloves are the tools we use in fighting Covid 19 which helps the heath care workers to keep themselves safe while the anti malarial drugs will help combat malaria in the state so the donation will be of great assistance. If you look at the Covid 19 curve, it is on the rise again and that means we could have a second wave. However, there is already covid-19 fatigue. So this has come in a timely manner because are stocks are dwindling because we are moving on to other diseases so this is going to be distributed to our health workers and the general public.”
Guangdong New South Group Co. Ltd. was established in 1994 and is an international investment group and the parent company of the Ogun/Gwangdong Free Trade Zone (OGFTZ).
Among others, New South Group focuses on the Chinese medicine industry and its core investment projects include Qinghao Pharmaceutical and Deng Lao Herbal Tea among others. Its investment portfolio also includes energy, hotels, finance and culture among others. Since 2006, the New South Group has implemented the ‘Compound Artemisinin Rapid Malaria Elimination Project,’ a project designed to eliminate the malaria parasite in The Comoros Islands, Togo and Papua New Guinea thus saving millions of lives. In recent years, the Group has responded to the ‘One Belt, One Road’ Chinese development initiative and built overseas entrepreneurship platforms. Currently it has two overseas economic and trade cooperation zones namely the Nigeria-Guangdong Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone and the Kenya Pearl River Special Economic Zone.
