Jack Ma, China’s richest man, is sending the second donation to 54 countries in Africa to help them fight spread of coronavirus, Ethiopian PM office said on Monday in a statement.
Through the “PM Abiy-Jack Ma (Alibaba) initiative” Ma previously donated a total of 1.1 million coronavirus test kits, 6 million masks and 60,000 medical protective suits and face shields to the African nations.
The second donation includes 500 ventilators, 200,000 suits and face shields, 2,000 thermometers, 1 million swabs and extraction kits and 500,000 gloves.
Jack Ma thanked Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed, the Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian), the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WFP for their partnership.
Dr Abiy Ahmed took the lead in managing and distributing the medical supplies to the African countries. Ethiopian also delivered the supplies to all African nations.
In a recent report the UN said Africa is facing the “complete collapse of economies and livelihoods” unless the spread of coronavirus can be contained.
More than half of the continent’s 54 countries have imposed lockdowns, curfews, travel restrictions and other measures in a bid to prevent the local transmission of the virus. There are now more than 1.2m cases globally and the disease has caused more than 65,000 deaths, with, the US and Italy worst-hit.
Africa has so far recorded just 8,000 cases of Covid-19 and 334 deaths, while 702 people have recovered, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
MG/abj/APA