Accra: Alhaji Seidu Agongo, Chief Executive Officer of Alive Industries, has presented a cheque for GH?500,000 to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund through the Ministry of Health. The donation is a pledge he made during the launch of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund by President John Dramani Mahama.
According to Ghana News Agency, Alhaji Agongo, who is also the CEO of Agricult Ghana Limited, expressed that his motivation stemmed from understanding the connection between public health and national prosperity. "As a businessman, my success means nothing in a society where people die from treatable conditions," he stated, emphasizing that business only flourishes in a healthy environment and that access to proper healthcare should be a fundamental right rather than a luxury.
Alhaji Agongo urged Ghanaians to support each other to improve lives, highlighting that the act of giving is not about wealth but compassion. "Together, let us continue to lift others and be the reason someone gets another chance at life," he remarked. Drawing from his experience as the owner of a Dialysis Centre, he has witnessed the devastating impact of kidney disease in Ghana, which poses a significant strain in a developing country where many struggle for basic necessities.
The Global Payroll Association reports that each dialysis session costs approximately GH?800, with most patients requiring three sessions weekly. This amounts to about GH?8,400 monthly or roughly $800, in a country where the average monthly income is around $750. It further states that more than half of the working class earns less than this amount.
Mr. Mintah Kwabena Akandoh, the Health Minister, emphasized that Alhaji Agongo's donation transcends corporate social responsibility and called on Ghanaians to support the Fund. "This is about Ghanaians standing for Ghanaians, and Alhaji Agongo demonstrates what we must all aspire to-seeing the suffering of our neighbours and responding not because we have much, but because we care deeply," he said.
Alhaji Agongo has made similar donations across the country, including constructing a block for the Child Emergency Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.