Managing Director of Ecobank, Moses Kurenjekwa (center) hands over the donation cheque of USD30,000 to the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare officials in Harare recently THE GOVERNMENT is set to receive rapid test kits for coronavirus (covid-19) worth US$30 000 from Ecobank as part of efforts to boost the country’s preparedness for the deadly virus which has so far killed more than 3 200 and infected more than 92 000 people across 70 countries.
This comes as the country has been scaling up its efforts towards preventing the spread of the deadly coronavirus after six African countries – Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal, Algeria, Nigeria and Morocco – recorded confirmed cases on the continent.
Ecobank managing director Moses Kurenjekwa said the rapid test kits would be deployed at all ports of entry, including airports and border posts to strengthen efforts to break chain of transmission of the virus. “As a bank with a global footprint and local presence, we are alive to the potential business and human threat posed by the virus globally and we are taking these steps at a local level as a show of our commitment to this country.
“It is our hope that we can come together as nation and deal collectively with this serious threat to social and economic progress,” Kurenjekwa said. Health and Child Care deputy minister John Mangwiro commended the pan-African banking group for its kind gesture and urged other corporates to also help boost the country’s preparedness for the epidemic. “We have just received a donation from Ecobank. This is towards the cause of covid-19 which we know we must be prepared for. We are ready but they are adding to what we need. They are going to donate gadgets and kits to use.
“We are very grateful to Ecobank and we would like to encourage other corporates to do the same. They are going to buy the material and we are going to distribute them to relevant areas,” Mangwiro said. Ecobank becomes the second corporate to contribute towards boosting Zimbabwe’s preparedness for coronavirus.
Recently, the government received eight state- of-the-art thermo-scanners from Mimosa mining company worth US$150 000.
The thermo-scanners can detect body temperature from four metres away, reducing the risk of contact with infected patients.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has since availed US$12 billion for immediate support to assist countries cope with the health and economic impacts of the global outbreak and to help developing countries […]
