AfDB donates $4m to South Sudan for Covid-19 fight

A South Sudanese Ministry of Health official takes a sample for testing for Covid-19. South Sudan’s coronavirus cases have risen to 1,942. PHOTO | ALEX MCBRIDE | AFP 

In Summary

• The bank, in a statement last Wednesday, said that the grant “will bolster the country’s capacity to
detect Covid-19 cases and prevent further spread.”

By DAVID MAYEN
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The African Development Bank has approved a $4.16 million towards the fight of Covid-19 in South Sudan.

The bank, in a statement last Wednesday, said that the grant “will bolster the country’s capacity to detect Covid-19 cases and prevent further spread.”

“The bulk of activities under the Bank-funded project will focus on improving facilities for the management of Covid-19 cases, including the procurement of oxygen cylinders and the recruitment and training of health workers. It will improve capacity for the detection of cases and the tracing of contacts,” added the pan-African lender.

South Sudan became a member of the AfDB in 2012, shortly after gaining independence from Sudan in 2011.

As of Thursday, the country had recorded 1,942 Covid-19 cases with 224 recoveries.  36 people have died from the virus