In a quest to mobilize a continental response that will help curb the COVID-19 pandemic, about $27.4million in grants has been approved by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
This will boost the African Union’s (AU) efforts towards curbing the pandemic.
The approval came on the heels of a meeting of the extended Bureau of the AU Conference of Heads of State and Government with Africa’s private sector, which was chaired by the South Africa President, and current Chairperson, AU, Cyril Ramaphosa.
The AU Bureau meeting called for contributions to the African Union’s COVID-19 Response Fund, established by the Chairperson, AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, in March this year.
AfDB President, Akinwumi Adesina while speaking during the Board’s approval of the operation noted that the financing package reaffirms the Bank’s commitment to a coordinated African response in the face of COVID-19.
According to him, about $26.03 million of the grant would help strengthen the institutional capacity of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), to respond to public health emergencies across the continent, while the balance of $1.37 million would be a contribution to the AU COVID-19 Response Fund.
Photo Source: Africanews
