My World of Bags (MWOB), a company that major on manufacturing of bags is distributing 2.5 million Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to Oyo, Lagos, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti, within the next four months.
Partnering with the Mastercard Foundation on an initiative called Project SafeUp to make this happen in the South West, the PPEs to be distributed include locally produced reusable non-surgical masks, face shields, gowns and scrubs, and shoe and head covers.
The founder and CEO, MWOB, Femi Olayebi, who reiterated the company’s commitment to supporting the fight against the spread of coronavirus, during a virtual briefing, said: “We believe that a country is only as strong as the health and wellness of its citizens.
“Project SafeUp is committed to enhancing the use of Personal Protective Equipment by Nigerians and to reducing the spread of COVID-19 by sensitising the public on the critical need to incorporate preventative measures in their day-to-day activities.”
Country Head of Mastercard Foundation, Chidinma Lawanson, said: “The pandemic has had adverse effects on individuals and organizations across the country but for many entrepreneurs and small business owners who make up most of the Nigerian population, and who rely on day-to-day incomes to survive, it has been particularly detrimental.
“At the Mastercard Foundation, we believe that this initiative will help to reduce these adverse effects by enabling people to safely return to their regular routines (education and work) with the use of PPE; improving the economic outcomes of low-income subgroups and women in particular and contributing to slowing down the spread of the virus.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been over 51 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, including over 1.2 million deaths across the world.
At the end of October 2020, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 62,853 confirmed cases; 58,675 discharged persons and 1,114 deaths recorded since the first case was recorded in February 2020.
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, MWOB retooled its factory to focus on the production of PPE and established key partnerships with small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
