The ONE Campaign has announced the appointment of the President/Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, to its board. A statement from the anti-poverty group said Dangote, one of Africa’s most prominent business leaders, brings a wealth of expertise and experience on how to encourage development and poverty fighting efforts.
The announcement comes shortly after Dangote and ONE Campaign co-founder, Bono, travelled to North East Nigeria, where they visited a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) fleeing from instability caused by Boko Haram, to highlight how, without immediate aid, nearly 50,000 children would be at risk of death this year.
On the trip they also announced a partnership between ONE and the Dangote Foundation, which will work to strengthen civil society and boost efforts to fight poverty and preventable diseases in Nigeria.
Tom Freston, Chair of ONE’s board, said: “On behalf of the board and ONE’s seven million members worldwide, I am delighted to welcome Aliko Dangote. It is a true privilege to have someone with so much knowledge and experience to help guide the efforts of ONE. We are at a crucial point in the fight against extreme poverty with many opportunities, but also many challenges.
It is only by working with someone of Aliko Dangote’s calibre that we can succeed in our aim.”
Speaking about his new role, Dangote said, “I am extremely happy to be part of this incredible organisation. The goal of ending extreme poverty is so important that everyone has a duty to help, and I am honoured that I too will be able to play my part by advising and supporting the leadership of ONE.”
Through his foundation, the Nigerian business mogul has been at the forefront of poverty and disease eradication in Nigeria.
Earlier in the year, he, in conjunction with the tech billionaire, Bill Gates, announced plans for a $100 million scheme to cut malnutrition in Nigeria.
The partnership between his foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is meant to address the problem of malnutrition, which affects roughly 11 million children in northern Nigeria.
The new scheme will fund programmes to 2020 and beyond, using local groups in the North-west and North-east. The North-east has for the past seven years been ravaged by Boko Haram’s Islamic militant insurgency.
Recall that Dangote Foundation put smiles on the faces of the IDPs in the North Eastern part of the country during Ramadan session with the distribution of food items and other relief materials.
Also, Dangote in his recent fact-finding tour of IDPs’ camps in the North-east donated a sum of N2 billion for the sustenance of the IDPs.
Dangote joins board of ONE Campaign
