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African heads of states and governments on Saturday commended the recent donation of medical equipment by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation for boosting Africa's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The Bureau commended the rapid action coordinated by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Jack Ma Foundation in mobilizing and distributing, with the support of the World Food Programme (WFP) and Africa CDC, over one million diagnostic tests, six million masks and 600,000 personal protective equipment to all African Union member states in less than a week," the AU Bureau of Heads of State and Government said in a statement issued following a teleconference meeting of African leaders.
The teleconference meeting of African leaders, which was convened by South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa who is also the current Chairperson of the AU, also gathered leaders including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Felix Tshisekedi, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Senegal's President Macky Sall, as well as President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The AU heads of states and governments also stressed in their second and follow-up teleconference meeting that "lifesaving supplies including personal protective equipment, masks, gowns, and ventilators and other support devices are urgently needed."
"The heads of states and governments highlighted the unprecedented threat that COVID-19 presents to the health of African citizens and to the continent's hard-won developmental and economic gains. They also recognized the imperative to establish humanitarian and trade corridors in a spirit of African solidarity and integration," the final meeting outcome statement read issued by the AU on Saturday read.
The AU Bureau of Heads of State and Government also stressed that "cognizant of the devastating socio-economic and political impact of the pandemic on African countries, the Bureau reiterated the need for rapid and concrete support as pledged by the G20 and other international partners, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)."
"It is critical that these institutions review their current disbursement policies to display flexibility and speed, including raising the availability of IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)," the statement read.
The 55-member pan African bloc also echoed the call for a comprehensive stimulus package for Africa, including, deferred payments, the immediate suspension of interest payments on Africa's external public and private debt in order to create fiscal space for response measures.
Africa's response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak had received a major boost, after the donation of medical equipment by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation.
The foundations had announced their commitment to donating 100,000 medical masks, 20,000 test kits and 1,000 protective suits and face shields to each of the 54 nations on the African continent.
On Saturday, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed that the death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the African continent has reached 313 as confirmed positives cases surpassed 7,741 as of Saturday.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
