The Anambra State AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA) and the Anambra State Ministry of Environment have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote and maintain healthy workplaces across the state.
The Executive Director of ANSACA, Dr. Nkem Okeke while speaking after signing the agreement with the Commissioner for Environment, described the MoU as a major milestone in the state government’s efforts to promote healthy workplaces and achieve a liveable and prosperous Anambra State.
Dr. Okeke said the partnership would strengthen collaboration between the two agencies in ensuring that workers and residents operate in safe and healthy environments.
According to Okeke, the MoU will enable the Environmental Task Force Team to enforce compliance with environmental standards, while ANSACA will complement the effort by ensuring that workers are also healthy.
He explained that the partnership would facilitate the prompt detection of diseases such as HIV, hepatitis A and B, and tuberculosis, thereby helping to protect residents and ensure that services provided across the state are safe, effective and consistent with global best practices.
On his part, Anambra Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Clem Aguiyi, stressed the importance of ensuring that people who provide services to the public, including food vendors and barbing salon operators, are medically and physically fit to carry out their activities.
Aguiyi said the initiative was aimed at preventing the spread of diseases and ensuring that workplaces across the state meet acceptable health and environmental standards.
He added that the ministry’s concern was to ensure that workplaces in Anambra are safe and healthy for residents, in line with Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s vision of building a liveable and prosperous homeland.
