Drogba eyes to score more goals for the poor and underprivileged
Updated 16:42, 15-Feb-2019
Sports Scene
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African football icon Didier Drogba has been taking part in meetings in Addis Ababa as he is aiming to extend healthcare provision across the continent. As part of his post-football retirement philanthropy, Drogba has teamed up with some of Africa's top investors for this new drive. 
As the African football legend is now focused on giving back, he was in Addis Ababa to share some of his experiences in the health sector. He has not only started a clinic in Abidjan but also offers mobile services.
The Chelsea legend said, “We stay there a week, a month and we screen people. The last campaign we did was about heart disease. We screened in two weeks more than 3000 people and it was very interesting because most of them didn't know if they were in good health or not. So, when you give the results, they say, 'Oh my God, I did not know I had hypertension, thank you.' So that 'thank you' pushes you to do more.”
 Didier Drogba plays football with pupils of the Primary School Didier Drogba during its inauguration in Pokou-Kouamekro, near Gagnoa, central-western Cote d'Ivoire, January 18, 2018. /VCG Photo

 Didier Drogba plays football with pupils of the Primary School Didier Drogba during its inauguration in Pokou-Kouamekro, near Gagnoa, central-western Cote d'Ivoire, January 18, 2018. /VCG Photo

Drogba also mentioned that for him, health and football issues are closely linked.
“Almost two years ago, one of my ex-teammates in the national team died of heart attack because he did not do the medical, so this is really important to me. I am a co-owner of a football team in the U.S. and we are professionals but when the players were signing, we were not doing the ECG, so I told them that they have to do it before something bad happens. This is not just for the players, for their health and to protect also the club, but this is something really important we have to do it.”
Through the foundation he set up in 2017, Drogba has also built a school in Abidjan, giving around 350 children access to education in the rural cocoa-growing community of Cote d'Ivoire. In Addis Ababa too, Drogba said that progress has been made.
Together with other philanthropists like Nigeria's Aliko Dangote, Drogba and other investors have agreed to channel more resources into health access, saying this can be achieved through improved private-public partnerships. Drogba hopes that he can hit the target as he sets his eyes on scoring more goals.