● Ethiopia to obtain 30 mln Euros to fight the pandemic
ADDIS ABABA – The European Union (EU) announced that it has allocated 3.25 billion Euros to African countries to tackle the spread of coronavirus pandemic(COVID-19) and supplement the immediate health care needs and economic and social consequences the continent has faced due to the global pandemic.
The EU is also mobilised 10 million Euros to help Ethiopia increase the number of diagnostic laboratories, test kits and treatment centres and it would allocate additional 30 million Euros to address basic health needs of vulnerable groups such as internally displaced persons and refugees.
EU’s Permanent Delegation in Addis Ababa told The Ethiopian Herald that from the overall package of 3.25 billion Euros, 2.06 billion are channelled to sub-Saharan Africa and the remaining 1.19 billion for the Northern African neighbourhood countries.
Through the EU Delegations, the Union is monitoring the situation in each country on a daily basis, making sure the response is context-specific and adapted to the local needs.
It was stated that the EU’s package includes direct bilateral support to countries, as well as funding to international organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN agencies.
Support will focus on strengthening preparedness and response capacities of countries with the weakest healthcare systems.
The EU is also funding research, which is helping to detect and prevent the transmission of the coronavirus in Africa.
These networks are collaborating with emergency response teams that are being set up in different regions of the continent.
The Union has been strengthening national health care systems in 13 African countries including Ethiopia with around 1.1 billion Euros since 2014. EU’s response to tackle the coronavirus will focus on specific additional needs countries have been encountering due to the pandemic.
It was stated that the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) is in particular determined to address basic health needs of vulnerable groups such as internally displaced persons, refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
Under the EUTF, the EU is working closely with all its partners on the ground to ensure equal access to the healthcare system and strive for disease prevention and health promotion especially among the most vulnerable such as populations on the move.
“This global pandemic can be controlled only if there is an inclusive approach which protects every individual’s rights to life and health.”
The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership will launch three calls for interests for over 25 million Euros from Horizon 2020 to support research into the virus and strengthen research capacities in sub-Saharan Africa.
The first call, launched on 7 April, focused on developing surveillance capabilities and diagnostics, validating existing tests and trialling therapeutics for promising agents.
The EU will accelerate investment in coronavirus testing labs in Africa through 80 million Euros for the European Health Guarantee Platform for Africa, working with the European Investment Bank, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, it was noted.
The Ethiopian Herald April 14/2020
BY BILAL DERSO
