ADDIS ABABA– The private sector has been supporting the government’s efforts in the fight against COVID-19 by mobilizing resources and producing personal protective equipment (PPE), Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) said.
Mekonen Hailu, Commission Communication and Public Relations Director told The Ethiopian Herald that as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility, several companies have shifted their operations by prioritizing the production of facemasks, PPE and sanitizer, he added.
”There are companies that completely shifted their production. For instance, in Hawassa Industrial Park, a number of factories are producing facemasks and other medical equipment with full capacity. This is significantly supporting the fight against COVID-19,” he said.
Currently, companies are donating PPE and other critical supplies for the community to protect personal hygiene. They are also supplying food and related items for low-income families.
According to UNDP, Africa’s top busi ness leaders joined UNDP Africa to focus on the actions needed for a coordinated continent-wide response to the COVID-19 crisis. The global pandemic COVID-19 has impacted almost every aspect of Africa’s economic and business landscape and redrawn the prospects for growth across the continent.
According to the African Union’s Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 has been documented in 52 African countries with rising numbers of cases. As governments start to deliver urgently needed social protection, the private sector can play a role in ensuring local supply including, where possible, through local production of urgently needed personal protective equipment and food.
African business can lead the way in strengthening preparedness through supporting procurement; response through unleashing networks of medical service providers and recovery through making available critical necessities.
Individually members are stepping up and showing their commitment through their own initiatives.
The Ethiopian Herald May 14/2020
