Oando partners Sao Tome and Principe to promote infrastructure development

Oando Plc has announced the commencement of infrastructure development in Sao Tome and Principe (STP).The company’s Community Relations Manager, Sam Onyenwe, disclosed this in a statement.He said: “The decision to play a role in the development of Sao Tome and Principe is grounded in the philosophy that the purpose of business is to do well in order to do good.”

As part of the commitment, the oil giant disclosed that it donated state-of-the-art ambulances to the country’s Minister of Health, Maria de Jesus Trovoada.The ambulances were donated through its subsidiary, Equator Exploration Limited, in reaffirmation of its commitment to sustainable development in the communities in which it operates.

Onyenwe explained that the firm framed its “corporate social responsibility programmes on the platform of Partnership, Ownership, Win-win, Empowerment, Respect and Sustainability (POWERS). “We believe that by supporting the development of our host communities, we are creating an enabling environment for the economic growth of Africa as a whole.

“Through our social investment projects in STP, we are involving local people in the labour-based road construction and rehabilitation project and providing employment.”He added that Oando is also supporting the “molding of tomorrow’s leaders by creating access to education through scholarships and school buses, as well as extending life expectancy through easier access to healthcare.”

The company’s Corporate Communications Manager, Obehi Ojeaga, added: “We are extremely proud of the work we have done in Sao Tome and Principe and appreciate the National Petroleum Agency of Sao Tome and the government for their support and seeing us as partners working together to achieve a greater good.”
 
According to the company, it had since the commencement of operation in that country in 2005, worked in partnership with the government and the National Petroleum Agency of Sao Tome (ANP-STP).

The Minister of Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Environment, Carlos Vila Nova, commended Oando for its commitment to social investment initiatives.As part of the activities, the team inspected the ongoing road construction at Santa Margarida-Santa Cruz.According to the Executive Director of ANP-STP, Orlando Pontes, the road project would positively impact people’s lives and increase the value of land in the surrounding areas.

Pontes added that when completed, the road would boost the country’s economic growth, through better connection to local communities, as well as safer and faster access to markets and services.

Till date, Oando has spent over $1.6 million on social impact projects, including the donation of school buses to aid accessibility to educational institutions in towns within STP, the company said.It had also awarded scholarships to tertiary students, trained local business owners, and donated to the National Health Service and farm, to market road construction project.