Africell & Uganda Communications Commission have donated three brand new motor vehicles to the Ministry of Health team spearheading Uganda’s national campaign against COVID-19. The brand new Tata Xenon LT Single Cabins pick-up trucks- were handed over to the Ministry of Health by Africell Uganda CEO Mr. Ziad Daoud and Chief Commercial Officer Mr. Neeraj Gala.
By providing additional mobility to the COVID-19 crisis response team, the vehicles will give the authorities more capacity to respond quickly to emergencies and enhance the overall strength of the national effort against Covid-19. The vehicle donation was received by their minister Ministry of Health Uganda, Dr. Jane Aceng Ruth on behalf of the National Response Taskforce.
Commenting on the donation, Mr. Ziad Daoud, CEO of Africell Uganda said:
“Africell is committed to serving our communities, in both good and bad. During this lockdown period, emergency travel capability is a critical need for the authorities. Together with our regulator the Uganda Communication Commission, we are happy to donate three brand new pickup trucks to help the men and women on the frontline do their jobs more effectively.”
‘Africell continues to follow the directives of the Government of Uganda expressed through the Ministry of Health and H.E The President of Uganda. Uganda’s timely and measured interventions have justified Uganda’s reputation as “the pearl of Africa” and proven that ours is a land truly blessed. We stand behind the President and the Government in this period and we are confident that we will overcome this challenge as a nation.
‘On that note we are handing this third car jointly with our regulator; the Uganda Communications Commission, as a token of our gratitude to them for steering the whole sector wisely and graciously in these trying times. Throughout this the commission has created an enabling environment for all operators to cope with the network challenges and other challenges with grace.’
The donation follows several other interventions made by Africell to help Uganda tackle the Covid-19 emergency. In particular, Africell has taken steps to help its users communicate cheaply and efficiently and has led a widespread public awareness campaign regarding the preventative measures people can take to remain safe from Covid-19.
For example, Africell has launched the “stayhome” bonus scheme, information campaigns on different media assets, extended its call center to the Ministry of Health by interconnecting on the 919 short code, zero rated a range of websites for customers to remain informed during this period, and various other things.
The telco also recently announced a partnership with Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (UBTS) as part of its support for the campaign against Covid-19. Africell’s partnership with UTBS entails a comprehensive communication solution designed especially for the service, enabling its key staff and facilities to communicate freely during a period when restrictions on movement complicate operations such as the collection of blood.
The comprehensive communication solution comprises 3 toll free lines, 5 phones loaded with 700 minutes of talk-time plus 5GBs each, and routers loaded with data to ensure that the Blood Bank is accessible in this time.
