Telecommunication Infrastructure provider, ATC Ghana, has in partnership with the American Tower Foundation donated US$100,000 to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) to assist in the fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Ghana.
Chief Executive Officer of ATC Ghana, Yahaya Yunusa, speaking at the presentation ceremony said the donation is very strategic to ensuring that Noguchi – Ghana’s largest COVID-19 testing centre – will be well resourced to embark on their activities which have far-reaching impacts globally.
“Since its outbreak in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on lives, societies and economies across the globe. As part of ATC Ghana’s efforts to support the fight against COVID-19 in Ghana, the company has donated various medical supplies, PPE and personal hygiene products to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital and Ga East Municipal Hospital in April and June 2020.
“We also donated such equipment to the National Commission for Civic Education in June 2020, after an appeal from the NCCE for support to enable them execute COVID-19 education and public awareness across Ghana.
“As we continue to help Ghana’s fight against COVID-19, it gives me immense pleasure to present on behalf of American Tower Foundation a grant of US$100,000 to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research to support its excellent work in combatting the pandemic.
“American Tower Foundation, which is based in the US, has assisted communities in need during the pandemic and made grants to organisations focused on supporting COVID-19 response and aid efforts; including the Red Cross, UNICEF, the PM CARES Fund in India, and the Nelson Mandela Foundation in South Africa. The Foundation recently committed an additional US$2million to support global COVID-19 relief efforts – of which NMIMR is now a beneficiary.”
He added that: “As the leading biomedical research centre in Ghana, we applaud your leadership and the key role you have played and continue to play – in testing, research and training of frontline workers during this COVID-19 pandemic. And commend you, Professor Annang, and all the members of your team, for your sacrifices in finding a solution to this virus”.
Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Professor Abraham Kwabena Annan – who received the donation on behalf of the Institute, was elated by the gesture and said it had come at an opportune time and will go a long way to not only enhance capacity at the centre but also breed qualified staff for the future.
“The funds will be used to help detect infections that in the early sense should be isolated to prevent further spread of COVID-19. We are also going to use some of the grant to advance strategic research – Research into sequencing the Genonome of COVID-19.
“The purpose for this is that, as the pandemic proceeds and the infections are curtailed or stopped, there is always a potential for mutation in the virus; and there is also a potential for the emergence of more severe diseases in certain areas. There is also potential for the emergence of a virus that may not be responsivee to treatment that we already know.
“We also need more information on the virus that will lead to the more important mission of developing a vaccine. So, this Genome research is targetted for these objectives; and we believe that we will find something useful that contributes to the global effort to end COVID-19. Part of this fund will also go into training, education and building capacity,” said Professor Abraham Kwabena Annan.
