AU COVID-19 Response Fund to Launch 300m USD Fundraising Webinar

Addis Ababa October 17/2020 (ENA) The AU COVID-19 Response Fund will launch webinar fundraiser to inform and solicit support and contributions from the African private sector, public and other partners, in order to ensure the continent can respond effectively to the unprecedented global crisis.

The AU COVID-19 Response Fund is a vehicle for the implementation of the continental strategy to combat the pandemic.

“To date, we have raised 44 million, we need your help to raise a further 300 million USD to tackle the immediate effects of COVID-19 in Africa,” AU said in its statement.

The main objectives of the fund are to mitigate the social, economic and humanitarian impact of COVID-19 in all African countries; boost the capacity of the Africa CDC to support response to public health emergencies across the continent; and support the procurement and distribution of essential COVID-19 medical supplies.

Chairperson of AU and President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa in a call to action said “now is the time to come together as one continent to tackle the biggest health crisis of our generation.”

WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and several African celebrities are expected to attend the two-hour programme.

The event will be broadcast in the African Union working languages of Arabic, English, French and Portuguese.