Ecobank seeks to eliminate malaria by 2030 with $120,000

Pan-African bank, Ecobank has committed $120,000 as seed capital to contribute to the elimination of malaria cases in Ghana by 2030.

Head of Consumer Banking, Edward Botchway, said the menace of malaria was critical and needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Ecobank, therefore, sought to contribute its quota.

Mr Botchway was speaking at the launch of the Zero Malaria Business Leadership Initiative in Accra on Thursday.

He said it was imperative for corporate organizations to get on board and similarly contribute their quota towards the elimination of the menace across the country.

“The enormity of the task requires that corporate Ghana plays its role. We cannot just leave this to government. That is why we are not just contributing our quota, but also asking other corporate entities and our customers to play their role to ensure that as a country we can eliminate malaria by 2030,” he added.

Director of Technical Coordination at the Ministry of Health, Dr Baffour Awuah, who spoke on behalf of the Minister of Health, Dr Kwaku Agyeman, noted that malaria had had a significant financial burden on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and needed a multi-sectoral approach to eliminate it.

“If we are able to eliminate malaria, we will be able to make all these savings to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country. The NHIS will be sustainable, and we are talking about health and wealth, which means that if you have health, you have wealth,” he added.