By Kemo Cham
Freetown’s mayor, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, has been named among five people and institutions as recipients of the 2020 Leadership Award for their efforts towards improving public health in Africa.
The awards issued by the Dakar-based Speak Up Africa, a strategic communications and advocacy organization working on public health issues, recognize the recipients for their remarkable leadership in sustainable development, a statement by the organization said. It added that the award is a celebration of the individuals and organizations for demonstrating “exemplary leadership and bring a positive impact through their work and initiatives.”
Mrs Aki-Sawyerr was awarded alongside prominent personalities and institutions, including the president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Pan-African financial institution, Ecobank. Also on the list of the awardees is Mr. Salomon Dopavogui, Executive Director of Jeunesse Secours, a civil society organization based in Guinea and member of the ‘No to NTDs Civil Society Network’.
Speak Up Africa said in its statement that the award recognizes those who have raised awareness and driven action around important public health issues such as malaria, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), immunization, sanitation, and COVID-19.
Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, Speak Up Africa is dedicated to catalyzing leadership, enabling policy change, and increasing awareness for sustainable development in Africa. Through its platforms and relationships and with the help of its partners, the NGO seeks to ensure that policy makers meet implementers; that solutions are showcased and that every sector – from individual citizens and civil society groups to global donors and business leaders – contributes critically to the dialogue and strives to form the blueprints for concrete action for public health and sustainable development.
The award is part of commemoration of Speak Up Africa’s 9th anniversary.
In Sierra Leone Speak Up Africa is working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation on the implementation of the African Union-backed Zero Malaria Starts With Me Campaign (ZMSWM); it serves as a strategic communication partner. Through its mandate in the country, Speak Up Africa has forged partnerships with government institutions, local authorities and the private sector, with the goal of raising awareness and encouraging political support towards the global malaria eradication efforts.
Mrs Aki-Sawyerr is recognized for her efforts as a malaria elimination champion in the country, the citation from Speak Up Africa notes, stating: “Through her work as Mayor of Sierra Leone’s capital city, Mrs Aki-Sawyerr also dedicates her time to improve access to water and sanitation at a national level.”
The mayor expressed delight at the recognition of her efforts.
“It is a great honor to receive the Speak Up Africa Leadership Award this year, particularly in a time when continued action against malaria is critical to protect decades of hard earned progress. Only by working together can we keep up the fight against malaria and ensure that we rid the continent of this disease for good,” she was quoted in the statement.
President Issoufou was recognized for his dedication as champion for sustainable development. In July 2019, he hosted Speak Up Africa’s high-level event on the sidelines of the African Union Summit held in Niger and recently expressed his desire to further the campaign group’s work to end NTDs in Africa.
Guinean civil society activist, Saloman Dopyogui, is a long-standing development champion, and an integral member of the No to NTDs Civil Society Network, which provides a platform for CSOs to consult and collaborate to maximize their efforts in fighting NTDs.
Mr. Dopyogui, according to Speak Up Africa, demonstrated immense leadership in his role as Executive Director of Jeunesse Secours.
“In this role, he rallies young people, media reporters and fellow civil society organizations to increase awareness in the fight against NTDs,” said the citation.
Dopavogui himself was quoted saying that collaboration is crucial to achieve the goal of eradicating diseases affecting Africa and ending suffering of people going through experiences in the hands of these diseases.
“Engaging Africa’s youth, journalists and other civil society organizations to join the fight against neglected tropical diseases will be essential if we want to alleviate suffering and help the 600 million people who are impacted by this sub-set of diseases. Working together with dedicated organizations like Speak Up Africa will ensure we reach our goals, and it is a great honor to be recognized by Speak Up Africa today,” he said.
Ecobank was recognized for its role in the fight against malaria. It is a leading private sector partner in the fight against the parasitic disease and has been mobilizing support and funding across the continent as part of the global initiative spearheaded by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership to End Malaria and the ZMSWM campaign.
In July this year the Pan-African banking institution launched the Zero Malaria Business Leadership Initiative in partnership with Speak Up Africa.
“Ultimately, ending malaria will increase prosperity across Africa, with a healthier population that drives economic growth. As an organization, we are proud to receive Speak Up Africa’s Leadership Award and hope that we can continue to use our position as a platform to raise awareness and inspire action against this deadly disease.” said Ade Ayeyemi, CEO of Ecobank Group.
CAF was recognized for been a strong advocate for raising awareness of public health issues, particularly this year with its involvement in the Stay Safe Africa Campaign, which seeks to educate the public on how to protect themselves from COVID-19. The African football governing body was praised for its dedication to “bringing the Stay Safe Africa campaign to a new audience, ensuring factual information was disseminated to the wider public.”
Speaking on the occasion, Yacine Djibo, Executive Director of Speak Up Africa, said the awardees represented “remarkable examples” of collaborations which helped in their course despite the difficulties associated with the year under review.
“2020 has introduced many new challenges in our journey to drive sustainable development for the continent. Despite the difficulties presented by the ongoing pandemic, we’ve seen remarkable examples of collaboration and new initiatives across the continent. In the current context, we are therefore particularly delighted to recognize such strong leadership from this year’s worthy awardees,” she said.
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