 Brings to an end perennial water shortage and its attendant health issues
Accra, Ghana; July 14, 2010: Telecom giant, Zain Ghana as part of its corporate social responsibility, has commissioned a community water project for the people of Ateibu community in the Suhum Craboa Coaltar District of the Eastern Region.
The project, which was embarked upon by Zain under its Touching Lives TV reality show, is a direct response to the clarion call by the people of the community who hitherto went through harrowing experience in the cause of getting clean and healthy source of water for their daily consumption.
The donation of the borehole by the telecoms provider brings to an end, the perennial water shortage and the attendant health issues which the people have had to cope with in the past.
Speaking at the commissioning, the Chief Executive Officer of Zain, Philip Sowah, expressed the determination of the company to raise the standard of living of the people in the host communities where Zain operates.
Sowah, who was represented by Benjamin Ato Afful, the External Affairs Executive, said “the commissioning of the water borehole project in Ateibu demonstrates Zain Ghana’s unflinching pledge to its corporate philosophy of a wonderful world, adding that the company will strive not only to provide world class telecommunication experience for its esteemed customers, but also endeavour to support the socio-economic development of communities in which it operates”.
Citing the Millennium Development Goals report of 2008, Sowah, said water use has grown at more than twice the rate of the population over the past century, noting that though there is not yet a global water shortage, about 2.8 billion people representing more than 40 per cent of the world population, live in river basins with some form of water scarcity.
According to him, another 1.6 billion people live in areas of economic water scarcity, where human, institutional and financial capital limit access to water, even though water in nature is available locally to meet human demands.
Against this backdrop, he noted that the provision of water cannot be left in the hands of the government alone, saying that Zain Ghana will always partner government and keep seeking opportunities in providing water for underserved rural communities across the country as such gestures would go a long way to improve the health status of community people, especially mothers and children.
Apart from the sinking of borehole for the Ateibu community, several other individuals and communities across the country through the Zain Touching Lives programme, received support in one form or the other such as educational scholarships, the constructions of boreholes and residential facilities, start-up capital for business and many others, taking into cognizance the respective needs of the beneficiary communities and individuals.
On his part, the Chief of Ateibu thanked Zain for the kind gesture. According to him, the people of Ateibu will forever remain grateful to the company for its extraordinary intervention, because “they saw our plight and within a twinkle of an eye, what had become a hydra-headed challenge, has now become a thing of the past”.
“My people and I will remain forever grateful and loyal to your brand and we shall always open our arms to receive you at all times. It is now our duty to protect and maintain this source of pride for the good of all of us in this domain. Your have by this singular act, proved beyond belief that Zain surely provides a wonderful world experience for the people.
In his response, the District Chief Executive Officer of Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District, Hon. Samuel Fleischer-Kwabi, commended Zain for its prompt intervention and its knack for supporting the government of Ghana in raising the bar in relevant developmental projects that directly and positively affects the people.
He promised that government in return will continue to provide conducive and enabling environment for Zain to thrive.
“We are grateful for your intervention and as can be clearly seen by all, the people of this community are overwhelmed by your gesture. Our prayer is that other corporate bodies shall emulate you and help in moving this great nation forward”, Fleisher-Kwabi stated.
For more information, contact Henking Adjase-Kodjo on 0262 222 260
About Zain Ghana
Zain was launched in Ghana in 2008 and is part of the Zain Group. Zain is Ghana's most innovative mobile phone operator, and gives reliable mobile phone services and a quality network and data services.
Zain Ghana is committed to supporting the communities where it operates and has been involved in various initiatives including the ‘Zain Touching Lives program’ which rewards deserving Ghanaians with enriching opportunities, ‘Zain-Bu Child Project’, which supports the Child Protection Unit at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the ‘Zain Live your dream too’ promotion, all of which have transformed the lives of Ghanaians nationwide.
About the Zain Group
Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to 72.5 million active customers as at 31 December 2009. In terms of country footprint, Zain has a commercial presence in 23 countries.
Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine (currently known as Paltel Group), Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In Lebanon, the company manages ‘mtc-touch’ on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain owns 31% of Wana Telecom through a joint venture.
Zain offers innovative services in its markets such as ‘One Network’, the world’s first borderless mobile telecommunications network enabling customers when abroad to receive calls and sms without charge and to make voice and data calls at local rates throughout 19 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This service allows a customer to top up airtime in one’s home country or from more than 1,000,000 outlets within Zain’s One Network footprint.
The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). Zain is listed in the Financial Times’ Global 500 Index which ranks the world’s largest companies based on market capitalization (http://www.ft.com/reports/ft5002008). Zain aims to become one of the top ten mobile operators in the world by end of the year 2011. For more, please visit www.zain.com or email info@zain.com