Fifty oxygen concentrators donated by the Med-Or Leonardo Foundation and defence and aerospace company Leonardo will be sent to health facilities in Niger that are treating Coronavirus patients.
“In the Sahel region the Covid-19 crisis deeply affected not only the health sector, but also the region’s economic and social dimensions," Med-Or chairman Marco Minniti told a ceremony at the Med-Or Foundation’s headquarters in Rome on Friday.
Rhissa Ag Boula, Minister of State at the Presidency of the Republic of Niger, and Salim Mokaddem, advisor to the President of the Republic also attended the ceremony, as well as Alessandro Profumo, Leonardo CEO, and Letizia Colucci, Med-Or's General Manager.
"We believe that this initiative to help the Republic of Niger, which is a key country in the region and the continent, can make a significant contribution to the fight against the pandemic," Minniti went on.
The project reflects the values and mission of the Med-Or Foundation - fostering cooperation and dialogue among the countries of the broader Mediterranean, Minniti underlined.
"Today, and even more in the future, the challenge of health security will certainly stand out as a key topic, making it essential to strengthen international cooperation initiatives in the area,” Minniti said.
Gifting Niger the oxygen concentrators "reaffirms Med-Or Foundation’s role and the conviction with which Leonardo backs this project," said Profumo.
"This ceremony represents a concrete expression of Leonardo and Med-Or’s will to value and promote a sense of community among Africa and Eurasia," Profumo added.
"Leonardo, as a national technological leader, is a driving force for Italy’s image in the world, and a sign of the country’s historical role as bridge between different cultures and civilizations," Profumo concluded.
