Zambia to get 145 million dollars from lenders to fight coronavirus

Zambia will get 2.7 billion kwacha (145 million dollars) from Britain and the United States to help fight the coronavirus, the ministry of finance said on Thursday, April 30, according to a news report by 'news.trust.org'.

The World Bank has made available US 57.60 million dollars (Approx. K1.05 billion) under its Rapid Response Facility. In addition, the Zambian Government has applied for a further US 20 million dollars (Approx. K372 million) under the Banks coronavirus Fast Track Facility.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) had committed 37.5 million dollars for the purchase of medical equipment other healthcare needs, the ministry said.

The AfDB will also provide food security packs for approximately two-hundred thousand households in the event of the situation escalating.

Britain has pledged support towards up-scaling social cash transfer under its GDP 30 million (Approx. K705 million) social cash transfer grant assistance.

The United States Government has also approved a grant of US 14.5 million dollars (Approx. K270 million) towards the fight against coronavirus in Zambia.

The funding is an addition to the technical support that the United States Centre for Disease Control (US-CDC) is providing to the Ministry of Health and the Zambia National Public Health Institute.

The Minister of Finance Dr. BWALYA NG'ANDU takes this opportunity to express gratitude for the financial support. NG'ANDU said, " the heart-warming support from Cooperating Partners is a sign of their unfettered commitment to bettering the well-being of Zambian's, through strong collaboration with the Government, without leaving anyone behind."

Dr. NG'ANDU also said, "the Government pledges its commitment to ensuring that the resources are used prudently, and accountability exists in their use."