By DAPO FALADE
Demonstrating its commitment towards better health, leading pan-African banking group, the Ecobank Group, on Wednesday, celebrated its eight annual Ecobank Day with a fight against diabetes.
The Ecobank Group employs over 14,000 people and serves about 24 million customers in the consumer, commercial and corporate banking sectors across 33 African countries.
Ecobank Day is an annual event which commenced in 2013 and some of the past initiatives focused on support for orphanages, safe water management, maternal health and malaria prevention.
The Ecobank Day is the Group’s annual event, showing commitment and giving back to its local communities across 33 African countries.
This year’s theme is ‘Take Action Against Diabetes’ and it marks the second stage of a three-year campaign to raise awareness and help prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
The bank partnered with the NCD Alliance (NCDAlliance.org), a Geneva-based global civil network dedicated to preventing NCDs all around the world.
Speaking at this year’s celebration, Ecobank Group Chief Executive Officer, Ade Adeyemi said diabetes and other NCDs are on the rise across the African Continent.
“Diabetes causes serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves and if not addressed quickly, untimely death.
“Approximately 60 per cent of Africans with diabetes are unaware that they have it and at Ecobank, we are determined to raise awareness about the disease and other NCDs, as well as the importance of healthy lifestyles in preventing these diseases.
“We are working closely with the NCD Alliance to ensure that our three-year campaign has maximum impact in helping to save African lives,” he said.
On her part, Ms Katie Dain, NCD Alliance CEO, said: “It is fantastic to see such leadership from a bank, in raising awareness of diabetes and other NCDs amongst its employees and communities.
“Effectively addressing NCDs will require collaboration across all sectors, which is why we are very happy about our partnership with Ecobank. We look forward to drawing upon their expertise in financial management to train NCD civil society advocates across the African continent.”
Planned activities aimed at raising awareness about diabetes include informational webinars and controlled screening in strict adherence to measures outlined by various governments to combat the spread of COVID-19.
2020 Ecobank Day events were held virtually, to ensure safety from COVID-19, and these include: the pan-African webinar in partnership with NCD Alliance to raise awareness about Diabetes and other NCDs, and how to address the extra challenges and stress people with diabetes may be facing during the COVID-19 pandemic and;
“A‘Take Action Against Diabetes’ campaign on social media to assist and encourage healthy lifestyle behaviours.”
The bank announced a total contribution of about 100,000 USD from its affiliates across the continent. The proceeds will go to the NCDA Solidarity Fund, which supports national and regional NCD alliances in addressing the critical needs of people living with NCDs during COVID-19.
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