This article was originally published in The Guardian on Thursday, March 19, 2015. To see the original publication, click here. Nigerian envoy to Tanzania commends Offor Foundation’s education initiative The Education Initiative by the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, aimed at promoting learning across the continent of Africa was last Friday extended to schools in Bagamoyo region in Tanzania.Over 1, 500 students representing six secondary schools gathered to receive over 22, 000 academic books shipped to the region in partnership with Books For Africa, a United States-based non-governmental organisation. About 19 other African countries including Nigeria, the foundation said, are benefitting from similar gesture by the foundation. The Nigerian High Commissioner to Tanzania, Ambassador Ishaya Samaila Majanbu, who was present at the presentation exercise, applauded Offor and the foundation for the exemplary act of altruism and support for academic enlightenment amongst …
The following article was published on March 18, 2015 by Vanguard. See the original article here. Ambassador lauds Emeka Offor Foundation’s education initiative The Nigerian High Commissioner to Tanzania, Ambassador Ishaya Majanbu, has commended Sir Emeka Offor Foundation’s Education Initiative, following the donation of 22,000 books to schools in Bagamoyo region of Tanzania by the foundation. Over 1,500 students, representing six secondary schools, gathered to receive the books shipped to the region by the Foundation, in partnership with Books for Africa, a US based NGO. A similar effort, the foundation said, had been extended to about 19 other African countries, including Nigeria. Ambassador Majanbu, who was present, applauded Sir Emeka Offor and the Foundation for the exemplary act of altruism and support for academic enlightenment among Africans. He noted that such philanthropic gestures by the Foundation ought to be emulated …
Written by Dr. Edwin Ndukwe A growing partnership design, one which brings together Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs’) and private sector venture capitalists is making giant strides in the delivery of much needed global health, particularly in Africa. One of such organs is a budding relationship between The Carter Center (TCC), a U.S. based NGO and Sir Emeka Offor, conjoined to fight off the scourge of River Blindness (RB) from Sir Offor’s region in southeastern Nigeria. "Many people from our region both middle aged and older have lost their ability to see over the years. We often associate their predicament with the curse of old age,” Sir Emeka Offor stated. Any form of impairment to vision, whether brought on by Onchocerciasis or Trachoma steals from its victims. It does not only steal the natural ability to see but it also steals …
This article by Raheem Oluwafunminiyi was originally published in News Africa Now. To see the original article, click here. No letting up fight to end polio At a time the Ebola virus is fast spreading to other climes, with a recent case detected in Texas, it is apparent that Ebola is now a global disease. With over 3000 death recorded in West Africa alone, and as the number grows daily, there is the need for all to pull the necessary resources together in the eradication and spread of Ebola. While global effort against Ebola continues, we must not forget that though no viable vaccine has been fully certified by global health bodies, the disease is controllable through what Tom Frieden of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls “rapid, focused interventions”. The Ebola success story in Nigeria is worthy …
This article by Edwin Ndukwe was originally published in allAfrica.com on October 30, 2014. To see the original story, click here. Nigeria: Overcoming Obstacles to Eradicate Polio - Philanthro-Capitalist Sir Emeka Offor Leads the Way Africans in their unique cultural tradition are endowed with rich social capital. Therefore, the welfare of each child in any community is inherently the responsibility of all, which gives credence to the proverb "it takes a village to raise a child". In the world of business, that same spirit of communal support extends into our modern appreciation of corporate social responsibility, more aptly identified as social sustainability and philanthropy. Philanthropy, whether internally generated or from external sources, is not a novel concept within the domain of the rich and wealthy. It is a principle that has addressed the fundamental challenges of our societies beyond the …
Meeting with AISA PTA Leaders is a Continuation of a Beautiful Friendship In recognition of Sir Emeka Offor's recent donation to the American International School (AISA) International Food Fair and Festival, the President of Parents Teachers Association (PTA) joined other PTA leaders on a courtesy visit on Tuesday, May 20th. Sir Emeka is the Executive Vice Chairman of The Chrome Group, an oil and gas conglomerate, and founder of Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF). The group President, Dana Mendelson, said the visit was to extend their appreciation for Sir Offor’s generosity and his recent donation of the sum of N2,000,000 towards the fundraiser held on April 19th at Hilton Congress Hall. Mrs. Mendelson during her opening remarks stated that the purpose of the International Food Fair & Festival was to create an opportunity “for the school to come together as one community, now we have …
By Doug Stone, Books for Africa A new business model is emerging in Africa and it has the potential to benefit millions of underserved people around the far reaches of the continent. The model embraces corporate social responsibility and involves business leaders giving back to the places where they built and acquired their wealth. These private benefactors are now also collaborating with NGOs and governments to advance core development needs and goals. No better example exists than Sir Emeka Offor, a leading Nigerian businessman, who since 2011 has donated $950,000 to Books For Africa (BFA) to ship 1.7 million books and computers valued at over $18 million to children and students in 19 African countries, including his own home country Nigeria. What is unique about Sir Emeka’s generosity beyond the size of the donation, is that his support will help …
The following profile of Sir Emeka Offor was written by Abiodun Adeniy, an Abuja-based Communications Expert. EMEKA OFFOR IN CONTEXT By 1996 estimation, Andrew Carnegie was reputedly worth $189.6 billion dollars. That bulk was as well estimated to be the second largest fortune ever acquired by anyone. But he reasoned that if he died that wealthy, he would have died a disgraced man. It was why he gave away a third of that wealth ahead of his death. Think of Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Foundation, and you’ll think of a man with outliving legacies. His thoughts on giving was perhaps fancied by latter-day super-rich, namely Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Ted Turner, Mike Bloomberg and Warren Buffet, who are all committing fifty percent of their wealth to charity. The US apart, a recent estimate posted 1.77 …
The following commentary was published on Tuesday, July 2, 2013 in ThisDay Live. To see the original commentary, click here. Emeka Offor’s Metamorphosis Edifying Elucidations By Okey Ikechukwu. Late last year, Sir Emeka Offor supported Rotary’s international network of Peace Centres with$250,000 for fellowships in peace and conflict resolution. The preference and focus, in terms of beneficiaries of the programme, are qualified applicants from Nigeria and other African countries. Part of the aim is to promote peace in Nigeria, with its ethno-religious and regional diversity, wherein the beneficiaries are to become mediators of better peace management and transmitters of contemporary conflict resolution paradigms in their various spheres of influence. That is why the programme offers professional development certificate in peace and conflict studies to mid-level professionals from related fields, such as public health, education, international law, economic development, journalism, rule …
Smiles lit the faces of the young students. It was as if Christmas had managed to come in October. The youths had just received something their counterparts in other countries might take for granted but that was all too dear in Nigeria. These young people dream of a sound education; but, for many of them, the dream is elusive because there are not enough books to go around. For these fortunate students, this hurdle has been surmounted. By the truckload, they received new books, computers and other material that will enrich their education and their lives. What makes this donation special is that the books and computers were not limited to select students at a few choice schools. More than a token gift, what took place was literally a benign flood of books that will significantly improve the quality of …
