News
Nigeria Uses Android App with Facebook to Beat Ebola
When Nigeria was hit by its first outbreak of the Ebola virus, health workers monitoring suspected cases armed themselves with mobile phones and an Android app that cut the time it took to report the onset of symptoms.
The app and most of the phones were provided by eHealth & Information Systems Nigeria, a Santa Ana, California-based non-profit research company that operates in the northern city of Kano, according to Bloomberg’s report.
Ebola Alert, a group of volunteers, used Facebook and Twitter to educate Nigerians about the illness.
Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Nigerian unit organized training sessions for journalists on how to use Google Trends to identify top questions most people wanted answered about the disease.
The phone app helped reduce reporting times that would normally take 12 hours by half initially, then 75 percent, before becoming almost real time, according to Daniel Tom-Aba, senior data manager at the Ebola Emergency Operation Centre in Lagos.
Information previously written on forms by hand before being sent to databases could be updated immediately, he said.
Ebola Scourge
“With Ebola, time is very important,” Adam Thompson, the chief executive officer of eHealth & Information Systems, an organization that had gained experience fighting the polio virus in northern Nigeria, said by phone from Kano. “If there’s a two or three-day lag in order to get a contact to the list, this could be a problem. The person could be in a different country by that point.”
Outbreak Contained
After a two-month campaign, during which more than 800 people who came into contact with infected persons were placed under surveillance, Nigerian officials are confident the outbreak has been contained.
The Health Ministry isn’t monitoring anyone at the moment and expects Nigeria to be declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organization about Oct. 20, spokesman Daniel Nwomeh said by phone on Oct. 3 from Abuja, the capital.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with about 170 million people and the continent’s biggest economy, recorded 19 cases, with seven confirmed deaths and 12 recoveries, according to the Health Ministry. That’s a 40 percent fatality rate for a disease that could kill as much as 90 percent of those infected.
The latest Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 3,400 people, according to the WHO, making it the worst in history.
Bloomberg reported that eHealth is exporting its app-loaded mobile phones and other tech-based tools to Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, the three worst-hit countries in West Africa.
Instant Tracking
“We’ve established three operations in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea,” Thompson said in an Oct. 4 e-mailed response to questions from Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. “We’re managing about $14 million of private foundation funds to support emergency operations.”
The main lessons in Nigeria were the importance of fast communication and instant tracking.
“One of the key things that worked for Nigeria was the fact that we knew the index case and we were able to trace all the contacts back to him,” Tom-Aba said. “Every contact tracer had a GPS incorporated in their phones so we knew that they had gone to the contact’s house. That built accountability.
Liberian civil servant Patrick Sawyer introduced the virus into Nigeria when he arrived on July 20.
Sawyer and four of the health workers who treated him also died of Ebola. Contact tracers made 18,500 home visits to check on people who may have been exposed, according to a Sept. 30 report on the website of the Center for Diseases Control.
Tablet Scans
Laboratory technicians conducting tests were given tablets to scan and upload results to the emergency center data base.
Field teams in turn got text-message alerts on their phones informing them of the results, he said.
Journalists were also shown how to create visuals using Google Maps and Google Earth to better tell the story.
“From the beginning of August to mid-September, about two terms in the top five searches were Ebola-related,” Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s communications manager for West Africa, said in a phone interview from Lagos on Oct. 6. “We noticed journalists were missing the story because people were asking questions as simple as, what is quarantine?”
Lawal Bakare, a 31-year-old dentist, corralled Facebook friends at home and abroad to create Ebola Alert, which educated Nigerians about the disease online.
Within a week, they formed a partnership with the government to operate a helpline that took 600 calls a day.
The group’s Facebook and Twitter accounts have more than 30,000 followers combined as of Oct. 6, and its website, www.ebolaalert.org, had 4 million hits in August alone, Bakare said.
U.S. Interest
As Nigerians’ interest in Ebola wanes, a growing amount of traffic is now coming from the U.S., which diagnosed its first case of the disease in Dallas last week.
The patient had traveled from Liberia. Bakare estimates that about 21 percent of the group’s followers are now from the U.S.
Fast communication in a country where they are 130 million mobile-phone users had its downside: unsubstantiated rumors.
Some text messages circulated saying that drinking a salt solution would prevent the infection.
At least two people were confirmed dead from drinking too much salt by the Health Ministry.
“As the rumor mongers are generating their rumors, we are countering almost real-time on Twitter especially to manage panic,” Bakare said.
He cited the example of a Lagos church that put up a poster advertising “free immunization” from the virus.
For Nigeria, the next target in the fight against Ebola is to halt its spread in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, according to Alex Okoh, the director of Port Health Services in Lagos.
“We may be Ebola free, but as long as there’s still an outbreak in the sub-region, we’re still at risk,” she said in an interview. “We can’t let our guard down because we still have people criss-crossing the continent,” Bloomberg reported.
Modern Shelter Systems and Services Limited, one of Nigeria’s leading real estate firms has announced that the Nasarawa Technology Village has attracted investments of N12 billion since the project commenced.
The real estate firm added that it has officially commenced feasibility studies for the Aso-Pada Toll Road, which will catalyse the development of the tech-driven innovation hub, creating value for investors and transforming lives along the Keffi-Nyanya-Abuja corridor.
With the signing of the Aso-Pada Toll Road project, Modern Shelter said it is one step closer to realising the vision of Nasarawa Technology Village, which is powered by innovation as the project will connect communities, attract investments, and unlock socio-economic opportunities while providing sustainable, affordable housing for the future.
Commenting on the development, Abdulmalik Mahdi, chief executive officer, said that “The Aso-Pada Toll Road will serve as the backbone of Modern Shelter’s Nasarawa Technology Village, bringing 1,962 homes, a tech incubation centre and more to life.
“The Aso-Pada Toll Road will not only enhance connectivity but also drive the success of our Nasarawa Technology Village project, powered by NGN12.5 billion in investments. Together, we’re creating a hub for innovation, sustainability, and opportunity,” he explained.
Chain Reactions Africa, one of Africa’s leading public relations and integrated communications consultancies, continued its awards-winning streak in 2024 by clinching three more prestigious awards in the recently hosted Lagos PR Industry Gala & Awards (LaPRIGA) 2024, which was held in Lagos.
Chain Reactions Africa emerged as winner of the ‘Public Sector PR Campaign of the Year’ for the firm’s Windfall Tax Policy Campaign for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The campaign was aimed at first, sensitising the Nigerian public about the Windfall Tax Policy and then, securing the compliance of key stakeholders for the policy.
The same campaign also clinched the ‘Best in Crisis Management’ award, off the back of its use of strategic communication to manage and avert the crisis that would have been precipitated by the enforcement of the Windfall Tax by the FIRS.
The highpoint of the day for the company was the crowning of its Managing Director and Chief Strategist, Mr. Israel Jaiye Opayemi, as the ‘Most Influential PR Professional’ for his exceptional professional persona, charismatic industry leadership, enviable profile, and commitment to the growth of the Public Relations industry.
Commenting on the LaPRIGA Awards recognitions, the Managing Director and Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa, Mr. Israel Jaiye Opayemi, expressed appreciation for the honours.
“Once again, I say a big thank you to the awards organisers, the Lagos State Chapter of NIPR, for raising the bar in organising this award to celebrate hard work and honour the resilience of deserving winners”, he said.
Opayemi charged the winners and all practitioners to drive better storytelling of their organisations and clients. “Let’s be the best. We are Public Relations people, let’s tell the stories of our respective organisations and clients better than ever before”.
He acknowledged the invaluable contributions of his team to Chain Reactions Africa’s unceasing accomplishments, describing them as the real shining stars of these honours.
“These award recognitions are emphatically dedicated to all the creative rebels in the Chain Reactions Africa Tribe. You are truly the shining stars spurring these honours, and there wouldn’t be a Chain Reactions Africa without my team. Your unwavering commitment to client satisfaction and sacrifices are matchless; you are the reason we are not just winning, but also breaking more boundaries of excellence”, Opayemi said.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR Lagos Chapter), Comfort Obot Nwankwo, congratulated all the winners for their recognition as shining stars and urged them to be an inspiration to others while sustaining the momentum of success, character, and bravery.
“As we honour our shining stars tonight, let us reflect on our collective responsibilities and use our influence to advance inclusivity and sustainability in Public Relations.
I challenge each of you to champion youth involvement, prioritise community breeding narratives and uphold highest standards of integrity in all that you do. I congratulate all nominees and winners tonight – may your success serve as an inspiration to others”, she said.
Themed, ‘The Shining Stars’, the 9th edition of LaPRIGA Awards expectedly turned out to be a resplendent and colourful get-together of the who-is-who in the integrated marketing communications industry with stakeholders drawn from the corporate, private, and public sectors.
According to the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Lead Consultant/CEO, Leap Communications, and Publisher of Breezy News, Muyiwa Akintunde, the ceremony had 22 award categories, and 81 entries were submitted in 21 categories, with the ‘Best in Political Communication’ not having any submission for this year’s edition.
Others are ‘Special Honorary Awards’ and ‘Lifetime Achievements Award for select public relations industry veterans.
With three awards, Chain Reactions Africa has once again shown its unparalleled dominance in the marketing communications industry.
Earlier in 2024, the company reached an unprecedented height by winning seven awards at the 2024 SABRE Awards. It also emerged winner of the Edge Awards 2024 most coveted prize, ‘Outstanding PR Agency of the Year’, with its MD/ Chief Strategist, Opayemi, carting away the ‘Edge Grand Prix in PR’, Edge Awards’ most enviable and highest individual awards category.
The company, with offices in both Lagos and Abuja, won four deserving honours at the 2024 Brandcom Awards, including the ‘Most Outstanding PR Agency of the Year’; ‘Most Outstanding Agency in Political and Public Sector PR’, and ‘Strategic Communication Consultancy of the Year’. Its MD/ Chief Strategist also won the ‘CEO of the Year (Public Relations) category for his sound leadership qualities and desirable profile.
LaPRIGA is a high-profile award that recognises excellence and celebrates practitioners in public and corporate organisations as well as stakeholders to boost professionalism and more investment in the practice of public relations.
A former Barclays branch building in Middleton is set to be transformed into a church, two years after the bank shut its doors.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG)has received council approval to establish their newest place of worship at the site, adding to the growing number of the faith’s churches in the Greater Manchester area
Despite receiving 51 letters of objection from locals concerned about potential traffic impact and overdevelopment, Rochdale Council’s highways officers are confident there would be no increase in traffic as a result of the development.
Planning officers also noted that the application is only for a change of use, meaning the building’s appearance would remain the same.
No major internal or external changes are planned.
As the building would effectively look the same and the application was for a change of use, this work would not be deemed ‘inappropriate’ or ‘overdevelopment’.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God, a form of Christianity founded in Nigeria in 1952, has a presence in 197 countries and territories worldwide, with millions of members in Nigeria alone.
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