The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, confirmed on the evening of Monday 23 March that “the EU will support the WHO global preparedness and response plan with €114 million to help weaker health systems tackle coronavirus” and another “€15 million are for rapid diagnosis and epidemiological surveillance in Africa”.
She was speaking after the videoconference of European Foreign Ministers, which underlined the priority given by the EU to global solidarity and cooperation and the need for vigilance with regard to Africa (see EUROPE 12452/8).
These funds are part of the €232 million already announced on 24 February by the Commission to help combat the epidemic worldwide (see EUROPE 12432/7).
Asked on Tuesday what the EU intends to do in the framework of its future comprehensive strategy with Africa (see EUROPE 12442/1), a Commission spokeswoman recalled that the EU “has already been working for years with many partner countries” with fragile health systems and that it has contributed a total of €1.1 billion to the strengthening of health systems in 13 African countries (Burkina Faso, Burundi, CAR, DRC, Ethiopia, Republic of Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco).
On 2 March, as the EU raised its alert level, Ms von der Leyen considered that the African Union was fully capable of coping and establishing its own response mechanism (see EUROPE 12437/1).
According to the latest COVID-19 surveillance update, released Tuesday 24 March by the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 affects 43 out of 54 African countries (Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and South Africa being the most affected, with more than 100 cases each), with 58 deaths recorded in 13 countries and 184 cases cured in 11 countries. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)