African Development Bank approves $27.33 million to ramp up the African Union’s COVID-19 Response Initiative
The approval follows a meeting of the extended Bureau of the Conference of
Heads of State and Government with Africa’s private sector on 22 April
2020
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, September 9, 2020/ -- The African Development Bank’s Board of Directors (www.AfDB.org) on Wednesday approved $27.33 million in grants to boost the African
Union’s (AU) efforts to mobilize a continental response to curb the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The approval follows a meeting of the extended Bureau of the Conference
of Heads of State and Government with Africa’s private sector on 22
April 2020, chaired by H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa
and chairperson of the AU, at which the Bank’s President, Akinwumi
Adesina, pledged strong support for the AU’s COVID-19 initiative.
The AU Bureau meeting called for contributions to the African Union’s
COVID-19 Response Fund established by the AU Commission chairperson, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, in March 2020.
Speaking after the Board approval of this operation, President Adesina
said: “with this financing package, we are reaffirming our strong
commitment to a coordinated African response in the face of COVID-19.
Most importantly, we are sending a strong signal that collectively, the
continent can address the pandemic, which is straining health systems
and causing unprecedented socio-economic impacts on the continent.”
The Bank’s grant financing will support the Africa Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in providing technical assistance
and building capacity for 37 African Development Fund (ADF) eligible
countries, particularly the Transition States, to combat the COVID-19
pandemic and mitigate its impact. The ADF is the Bank’s concessional
window.
Sourced from the ADF’s Regional Operations/Regional Public Goods
envelope and the Transition Support Facility, these two grants will
support the implementation of Africa CDC’s COVID-19 Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan through strengthening surveillance at various points of entry (air, sea, and
land) in African countries; building sub-regional and national capacity
for epidemiological surveillance; and ensuring the availability of
testing materials and personal protective equipment for frontline
workers deployed in hotspots. The operation will also facilitate
collection of gender-disaggregated data and adequate staffing for Africa CDC’s emergency operations center.
At the beginning of February 2020, only two reference laboratories—in
Senegal and in South Africa—could run tests for COVID-19 on the
continent. The Africa CDC, working with governments, the World Health
Organization, and several development partners and public health
institutes, have increased this capacity to 44 countries
currently. Despite this progress, Africa’s testing capacity remains low, with the 37 ADF-eligible countries accounting for only 40% of completed COVID-19 tests to date.
“Our response today and support to the African Union is timely and will
play a crucial role in helping Africa look inward for solutions to build resilience to this pandemic and future outbreaks,” said Ms. Wambui
Gichuri, Ag. Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development.
This support will complement various national and sub-regional
operations financed by the African Development Bank under its COVID-19
Response Facility to support African countries to contain and mitigate
the impacts of the pandemic.
About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African
Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground
in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank
contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its
54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org
Link: Africa Development Bank
African Development Bank approves $27.33 million to ramp up the African Union’s COVID-19 Response Initiative
African Development Bank approves $27.33 million to ramp up the African Union’s COVID-19 Response Initiative
African Development Bank approves $27.33 million to ramp up the African Union’s COVID-19 Response Initiative
African Development Bank approves $27.33 million to ramp up the African Union’s COVID-19 Response Initiative
African Development Bank approves $27.33 million to ramp up the African Union’s COVID-19 Response Initiative
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