01062019 - APC lawmakers move against party

42—SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 1, 2019
Govt needs to invest in
manpower, healthcare
to develop economy
—Medsaf Boss
Stories by Moses Nosike
ivian Nwakah is the founder of Medsaf, a tech-enabled
Vmedication supply chain management solution for
hospitals and pharmacies. She grew up in Chicago where
she started a chain of home healthcare agencies that
expanded across the Midwest. Nwakah has
travelled several countries of the world before
before settling in Nigeria full time.
In this interview with Nosike Moses, she
revealed how the challenges of widespread
fake medication and fake malaria drug killed
her friend made her found Medsaf to reduce
preventable death and streamline the
pharmaceutical industry. Excerpts:
Nigerians would like to
know the vision of Medsaf
and its focus?
Yes! I spent most of life in Chicago,
US and I got the chance to open
home healthcare agencies across
Illinois and Indiana. That exposed
me to the business side of
healthcare. Afterwards I entered a
business school program where I
studied at IAE, Sorbonne in Paris,
France, the Federal University of
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and J. Mack
Robinson College, Georgia Atlanta.
I was traveling around the world,
thinking about the world with
business mindset before connecting
back to my roots in Nigeria because
I wanted to give back in some way.
My parents left Nigeria in the
1970s.
So I came back to Lagos to do an
internship and that is how I got
here. While doing my internship, a
friend of mine died while taking a
fake malaria pill and that opened
my eyes to see some of the
challenges in the Nigerian
healthcare system. I felt a calling
to help and be a part of the solutions
to fix these problems.
How long have you been in this
business of healthcare
management and the impacts so
far?
I started working on this concept
about four years ago, trying to
understand different ways I can
make the concept work. It stemmed
from the idea that quality
medication is a fundamental
human right and it is not fair that
anyone should have to worry about
receiving poor healthcare. We saw
that pharmaceutical distribution
was a huge challenge, an area that
could be fixed with technology. Two
and half years ago, we launched
Medsaf as a service provider to
hospitals for quality control along
with other services like inventory
management planning as well as
providing them with quality
medication at an affordable price.
The impact on Nigeria so far has
been huge. We brought this idea of
quality medication back into
spotlight. Our team is going to the
hospitals and pharmacies talking
about the need to have good quality
medications and streamline
procurement. We want to ensure
that those hospitals working with
us have good medications and that
imparts on the patient.
Considering the cost of financing
healthcare, are you into partnership
to actualise this dream?
This concept that quality
medication is a fundamental
human right speaks to everybody.
Everybody knows somebody who
has been impacted by medication
or the healthcare industry and it
touches you and your family. So
when we go to hospitals, we tell
them what we want to achieve and
help them gain access to quality
medication at an affordable price.
So the pharmaceutical
manufacturers would like to do the
right thing for the operation by
manufacturing quality medication
and making sure that it gets to the
patients to save lives. For the
hospitals, pharmacies and
manufacturers, it is always a winwin.
How can you describe health
sector in Nigeria?
The Nigerian health sector suffers
the same challenges other sectors
of the economy suffer. It suffers from
silo efforts where you have the
people trying to do the right thing
all on their own, like an island.
There is no collaboration in the
system. Everybody tries to do the
best they can, but don’t realize
collaboration is the key to push the
sector to a higher level. There is a
billion dollar medical tourism
industry of people leaving Nigeria
every year getting healthcare
elsewhere and many are dying there
in China, India, and other places.
Whereas Nigeria could be the gold
standard of healthcare in the world.
If you go to the United States, every
single top hospital there is a
Nigerian doctor working there. I
come from a family of healthcare
providers where the whole hospital
is Nigerian. Imagine the potential
that Nigerians have, to be the
smartest, greatest and the most
successful in other countries. Yet you
come to Nigeria and see a
healthcare system where people are
running away. Nigeria could be the
gold standard of the world and I see
the potential for Nigeria. Maybe not
in my lifetime, but in my grand-kids
lifetime. But I want to spread the
word that if everybody works
together in partnership, this country
could be the best.
Government role...
It wasn’t the government who
created the railroads, it wasn’t the
government who created the
infrastructure, it was the
entrepreneurs of the time. If you
look at JP Morgan Chase, he was
an entrepreneur and he built and
institutionalized and became
something that was adopted by the
government. So if you look at other
countries, if you look at history,
there’s a clear indication that the
government needs to work with
entrepreneurs. Government needs
to work with people who are
motivated who are building things
efficiently fast and effectively and
adopt those as policies. So until the
government starts to do that it will
be difficult to advance. I said
because that is if you look at Silicon
valley, we have Silicon Valley
investors. Silicon Valley was built
by the US government. The US
government pumped billions of
dollars into entrepreneurs in
Silicon Valley to create the army
technology of the time. Now Silicon
Valley start-ups are the Unicorns of
the world today. You got Uber in
Nigeria, you got Paypal, Facebook,
name any company that has taken
over the entire world came from
Silicon Valley because the US
government put the money there.
So Nigeria has all the answers, all
the resources, all the brilliant minds
around the entire world. It’s up to
the government to say we’re going
to invest money into the people to
make this country great again.
Eradicating poverty among
Nigerian women...
If I look back in history, women
especially in some cultures that
pertain to Nigeria, women are the
backbone of everything. In the
Nigerian family, women are in
position of power and women are
important to making things work.
More importantly women need a
chance to fly. If I look at myself, I’m
where I am because some people
believe in me and gave me a chance
to fly without any question, without
any strings attached to it. They said,
there is a potential in you, the way
you think and do things and they
invested on me. If you look at your
family, can your mum do what your
dad is doing, yes she can. Women
are powerful, they are running
businesses.
The recent introduction of
Hollandia Evaporated
Milk’s 120g pack size
affectionately referred to as
“Pere” has been met with
commendation from
consumers. The new “Pere”
pack is being seen as an
irresistible way to deliver
wholesome nutritious
evaporated milk in a
distinctive packaging.
At a N100 price point,
Hollandia Evap 120g “Pere”
pack has endeared itself to
millions of consumers across
Nigeria for its unique
creamy taste and nourishing
value in a convenient pack.
It is tailored to fit specific
consumer needs with
quantity benefits and
AYE’s $180 per applicant targets
ts
one million entrepreneurs
Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs (AYE) has launched the Mission 1
Million Entrepreneurs (M1ME), a flagship training and
development initiative, valued at $180 per applicant, to
intellectually equip and provide knowledge driven support
systems to one million African entrepreneurs. The initiative, funded
by Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs, is set to run for the next seven
years, and will be completed in 2025.
The Press Secretary and the Regional Manager of A.Y.E, Mrs.
Joy Michael said: “The initiative is in line with key integral
elements of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal,
and is poised to address the crucial subject of human capital deficit
which has plagued the continent for years and stifled its economic
projections.
“The M1ME initiative has been in the works in the last two years,
and has been subjected to extensive research and global
consultations. The initiative, which was approved by the Board of
the Organisation in April 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa, will
be piloted in five countries such as Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Ghana
and Rwanda.”
AYE President Summy Smart Francis said: “Given the ambitions
of African countries on moving towards knowledge-based
economies, the introduction of this initiative is timely. The African
continent is decades behind in admirably competing with
emerging economies across the world”.
Peak Milk commences breakfast
culture
P
eak Milk, Nigeria’s supreme dairy brand has begun a crusade on the
importance of a healthy breakfast – and why it is the ideal tool enabling
your day to start and end well. The campaign is aimed at creating a
counterculture through series of experiential and media-led activities
which reinforces the breakfast custom.
As a part of awareness campaign and build up to 2019 World Milk Day
today, the flagship product from dairy giant, FrieslandCampina WAMCO
stormed key cities in Lagos, Edo, Enugu, Anambra, Abuja, and Oyo states,
where children were surprised and served with sumptuous breakfast
banquets during the Childrens Day parades across the country.
Speaking, the Marketing Manager for Peak Milk, Maureen Ifada said,
“A lot of working-class Nigerians do not bother about having breakfast
and most of those who do often do not find the time. Therefore, in our
steadfastness to supporting Nigerians to be unstoppable, our brand is
committed to cultivating a breakfast tradition which sets the tone of your
day, from start to finish.
Also, as a tribute to the local dairy farmers whose raw milk is purchase
and used in the production of Peak Milk, executives from
FrieslandCampina WAMCO and Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN)
visited and served breakfast to dairy farmers and pastoralists in Iseyin
and neighbouring communities in Oyo State. Being pioneers of the Dairy
Development Programme (DDP) in Nigeria, the Peak Brand prides itself
as a product being sourced through an initiative which emphasises gender
inclusion and is significantly improving food and nutrition security in
the country.
According to Ifada, by choosing a balanced breakfast, people can get
off to the right start and fill-in the gaps likely to be missing in their diet.
“Milk is a perfect breakfast complement, as it remains one of the richest
natural sources of vitamins and minerals; enhancing growth and
development of mental and physical performance. So, enjoy a Peak
breakfast today – your guaranteed enabler to start well and end well,
Ifada concluded.
16 Interns graduate from Interswitch
developer academy
S
ixteen interns have graduated from the first cohort of the Interswitch
Developer Academy in Lagos. The interns were drawn from various
tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
As part of its commitment to promote STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics) in Nigeria, Interswitch recruited a number
of software engineers to participate in the six-month internship programme
which held at the company’s headquarters.
According to Interswitch, the vision draws inspiration from the
renaissance that Nigeria has witnessed in its entertainment sector which
have witnessed a great boom in recent years owing to the enterprising
spirit of Nigerians, and with very little dependence on government
intervention. The Academy, which took the form of an internship
programme, began in December 2018.
These fresh graduates from the Interswitch internship programme were
selected through a careful process.
The six-month intensive training was focused on basic engineering
theories as well as real-life applications. Some of the interns will be retained
as Interswitch staff, while the others will be prepped to join the wider
Nigeria workforce.
Speaking at the conclusion of the training, Interswitch’s Chief
Information Officer (Technology), Babafemi Ogungbamila, said that it was
really an amazing experience with the interns, noting that their
commitment, readiness to learn and determination eventually paid off.
“It is amazing seeing young people show passion about STEM.
Certificates were also presented to all the participants.
Hollandia new pack ‘Pere’ gaining consumers interest
reasonably connects with an
affordable price point.
Across neighbourhood shops and
departmental stores, the “Pere”
pack has grown increasingly
popular as more consumers
consider it a favourite for its high
quality, convenience and
affordability, whenever they desire
a creamy addition to their cup of tea,
coffee, or meals.
Mr. Oluseyi Adeniyi, a brand
consultant with MarketingPlus said
that while Hollandia Evap is
already a household name in
Nigeria for its product quality,
affordability and satisfaction, its
new 120g “Pere” pack size is a
packaging innovation that is
making inroads with its convenient
portion size.
“The Hollandia Evap 120g “Pere”
pack size is an innovative pack that
offers a good on-shelf presentation
and delivers fresh appeal in addition
to its creamy goodness. The pack’s
increasing popularity is driven by
consumer trends and desire for
convenient portion size, more
personal choice and affordability”.
For Ezekiel Usman, a student of
University of Ibadan, “Hollandia
Evap is a creamy and highly
nutritious milk. He noted that as
students, it was imperative to settle
for value adding products that are
pocket friendly, and the new “Pere”
pack fits the bill for his daily use.
Chi Limited’s Managing Director,
Mr. Roy Deepanjan, expressed
delight on the feedback received so
far from consumers. He stressed that
the Hollandia Evap 120g “Pere”
pack size has captured consumer
affection by being value
maximizing and innovative.