ADDIS ABABA – Over 480 million Birr has been collected to capacitate the national resistance against coronavirus, the COVID-19 Resource Mobilization Committee disclosed.
Resource Mobilization and Coordination Sub Committee Chairperson Ambassador, Misganu Arga told to local media that the resource mobilization is part of the national effort to strengthen national capacity to confront and control the pandemic before significant social and economic damage caused by the virus.
According to him, the committee has been calling for local and international support to assist the effort to combat the virus. “We have been knocking the doors of high tax payers in person apart from conveying fundraising message using various media outlets.”
Accordingly, the public in general and private and public institutions in particular are actively engaging in extending cash and in-kind support. Accordingly MIDROC, Belayneh Kindie Import and Export, NOC and Sunshine companies are actively participating in providing various supports, the Chairperson said.
By the same token, private and public financial institutions are also supporting the effort both in funding and facilitating financial transactions, he stated.
The support is crucial to charge stimulus to the country’s poor economy that currently is highly affecting by the pandemic that cause restriction of people’s movement, the major inputs of doing business, he noted.
“The specified prevention mechanisms of the pandemic such as social distancing and staying home [and lockdowns] are notable challenges to the economy of a given country and the impact will be more devastative to poor nations like our country”
Therefore, the public should enhance more support to pick up the economy side by side to the medical efforts. This is the right time to show cooperation and togetherness, Amb. Misganu underlined.
However, the public should be cautious in providing its support by using legal institutions to avert exploitation from manipulators who use the opportunity for personal gains, he recommended.
According to the chairperson, the public can use the bank accounts that have been opened by the committee in all local banks across the country. It can also use the granting platforms installed by ethio telecom.
The committee is also developing its own website to provide sequential updates to the public about the amount of fund it gained and to acknowledge donors, he disclosed.
The national resource mobilizing by the committee is managing by a ministerial committee that chaired by the premier and operating by the national risk management commission. The nation needs a total of 50 billion Birr to rescue its coronavirus-hit-economy, it was learnt.
The Ethiopian Herald April 21/2020
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
