In a bid to fight the spread of HIV, low-cost condoms have been made specifically for Africa.
HIV/AIDS is a major public health concern across the world and particularly in Africa. According to DoSomething.org, a global movement, 69% of the 34 million HIV-positive people worldwide are found in sub-Saharan Africa.
This implies that there are about 23.8 million infected persons on the continent. This is why a popular company is introducing cheap condoms for Nigeria, South Africa, Botswana and other African countries.
Bloomberg reports that Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc's Durex is making a new condom label named Feels, which started selling in November 2018.
Manufactured in South Africa, it is priced a lot less than other products. Durex's Featherlite, for instance, goes for 39.99 Rand (N1,057) per pack while the new product is sold at 9.99 Rand (N264) per pack of three.
In an interview in Johannesburg, Chief Executive Officer Rakesh Kapoor further explained the need for Feels.
He said that the company also intends to use the new product to normalize the conversation about condom use in Africa.
"This special pack is priced for this market, with the same quality you would expect from any of our other brands," Kapoor said.
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In a different statement, the company announced its plans to donate some money to help fight the spread of the disease in Africa.
Reckitt Benckiser said Durex, as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will each donate $5 million to the Global Fund.
Global Fund is an international financing organization that aims to "attract, leverage and invest additional resources to end the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to support attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations."
HIV/AIDS in Nigeria
The first two AIDS cases in Nigeria was diagnosed in 1985, according to the Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences.
It quickly spread as a total of 220,0000 new HIV infections were reported in 2014.
Now, an estimated 3, 229, 757 Nigerians are said to have HIV making the nation the second largest country with the disease after South Africa which has 6.8 million infected people.
Avert also reports that the country has one of the highest rates of new infection in sub-Saharan Africa.
80% of these new HIV infections are attributed to unprotected heterosexual sex while sex workers account for the majority of remaining HIV infections occurring in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the federal government has vowed to end the HIV/AIDs epidemic by 2030.
Daily Post reports that the pledge was made by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo during the commemoration of this year's World AIDS Day at the State House in Abuja.
Lifestyle: This company is making cheap condoms for Nigeria and other African countries
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