AU establishes COVID-19 Fund; seeks $1m on first day

A COVID-19 Response Fund has been created by the African Union to help the continent battle the lethal pandemic, infecting and taking the lives of many in the world.

The fund, dubbed “Give a Little” has a target of raising US$1million on May 25, the day it was launched. It is meant to boost the union’s response towards the fight in Africa.

“On this Africa Day, May 25, all Africans, people of African descent and friends of Africa are encouraged to give a little to the fund. A target of US$1million has been set for the day.

“Contributions can be made in any currency and this will be automatically converted into United States dollars, which is the original currency of the fund account,” the continental body said in a statement.

The fund would be used to mitigate the social, economic, and humanitarian impact of COVID-19 in all African countries.

”This is important because the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to reverse the socio-economic advancements made by Africa in the last 30 years, as the pandemic proves to be more severe on the socio-economic well-being of populations in Africa.”

According to the AU, part of the money raised will also be used to “boost the capacity of the Africa CDC to support response to public health emergencies across the continent.

Africa CDC was created to support efforts by the member states to prepare for and respond to public health threats across the continent.

Established by the chairperson of the union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, it follows the hard lessons from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014, which caused the loss of thousands of lives, and had a heavy toll on the socio-economic wellbeing of individuals and groups in Africa.

Some of the money will also be used to support the procurement and distribution of essential COVID-19 medical equipment and supplies and mobilise rapid response by the member states.

As of May 23, Africa had reported nearly 105, 000 cases of infection, 4,000 deaths and 42,000 recoveries.