Events
18 February 2008: US President and Mrs. Bush Visit Olyset® Net Factory in Tanzania
On Monday 18 February, US President George W. Bush visited the new Olyset Net Factory in Arusha as part of his five-country tour of Africa. President Bush praised the Tanzanian government, A to Z Textile Mills and Sumitomo Chemical, as major players in the fight against malaria.
“The suffering caused by malaria is needless and every death caused by malaria is unacceptable,” stated President Bush. “So as this campaign protects women and children from malaria, it also boosts local economies. It helps develop a culture of bed net use that will be sustained long after relief programs have ended.”
During their visit to the Olyset Net factory, the President and Mrs. Bush were given a tour of the facilities by A to Z Textile Mills and Sumitomo Chemical management. They learned first-hand about the state-of-the-art technology and manufacture of Olyset Nets, met with enthusiastic factory workers, posed for photographs and handed out Olyset Nets to patients during their tour of the Meru District Hospital earlier that day.
The President and Mrs. Bush’s visit comes on the heels of the official opening of the Olyset Net factory on 8 February in Arusha.
More on President Bush’s visit:
➢ View White House photographs from the event
➢ Read selected press coverage of event
Photo credits: Enrico Ciceri, A to Z Textile Mills, Ltd.
8 February 2008: Official launch of new Olyset® Net factory in Arusha, Tanzania
The official launch of the new Olyset Net factory took place in Arusha, Tanzania on 8 February 2008 and was presided over by Tanzanian Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed Shein.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony Mr. Hiromasa Yonekura, President of Sumitomo Chemical, and Mr. Anuj Shah CEO of A to Z Textile Mills, welcomed distinguished guests and partners from around the world to the new facility, which brings production capacity of the long-lasting insecticidal net in Arusha to 10 million nets per year.
Highlights of the programme included remarks from Roll Back Malaria Goodwill Ambassador Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Roll Back Malaria Deputy Director Julian Fleet, and USAID Tanzania Mission Director Pamela White.
Initiated with a royalty-free technology transfer in 2003 – undertaken with the support of the Acumen Fund, Exxon-Mobil, Population Services International, the RBM Partnership, and UNICEF – today the partnership has expanded into a 50/50 joint venture between Sumitomo Chemical and A to Z Textile Mills. As a result, over 3,200 jobs have been created in Arusha, supporting at least 20,000 people.
More information:
Press release:
Event speeches:
- Speech of Mr. Anuj Shah CEO of A to Z Textile Mills
- Speech of Mr Julian Fleet, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership
- Other speeches available upon request
Media:
Photo credits:
Top left: William Daniels
Top right: CameraPix
Bottom left: CameraPix
28 April 2006: National Malaria Day - Ghana
Click here for a PDF documenting National Malaria Day celebrations at the Anglo-Gold Ashanti grounds in Ghana:
AMD2006-Ghana