Zamfara Wins Bill Gates, Dangote’s $1 Million For Staying Polio Free

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates (L) looks on during a news conference at company headquarters in Redmond, Washington June 15, 2006. Microsoft announced that effective July 2008 Gates will transition out of a day-to-day role in the company to spend more time on his global health and education work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. After July 2008, Gates will continue to serve as the companyÕs chairman and an advisor on key development projects. Robert Sorbo/Microsoft/Handout

Zamfara State has won a total sum of one million dollars from Bill Gates and Dangote Foundation for being polio free state in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Meanwhile, a 19 member State routine immunization working group committee has been inaugurated by the State Ministry of Health to ensure full coordination and effective implementation of routine immunization activities in the state.
While making the announcement at the maiden State Routine Immunization Working Group meeting held yesterday at Ministry for Local Government Conference Hall, the foundations’ representative and head of Solina Group in Zamfara State Dr Adesina Aladeshawe, said each of the two foundations donated $500,000 (five hundred thousand US dollar) in line with their pledge of providing financial support to any state that maintained two consecutive years without any polio case.
He informed that Bill Gates and Dangote foundations were impressed with the collective efforts of state and partners working on routine immunization in the state, and expressed their support in strengthening routine immunization activities across the state.
Adesina explained that the funds will be used in the procurement of solar refrigerators for 84 political wards that were identified with no single functional cold chain equipment, and construction of two satellite cold chain rooms in the other two senatorial zones headquarters; Talata Mafara and Kaura Namoda with a view to ensure total decentralization of cold chain infrastructure in the state.
“Based on the data we generated from key stakeholders, the state has only 63 political wards with functional cold chain equipment, while the remaining 84 political wards do not have functional cold chain equipment.