AFRICAN UNION COMMENDS LATEST FINANCIAL SUPPORT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST EBOLA WORTH $950 MILLION

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 22 April 2015: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, commends the latest financial support bequeathed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank Group (WBG) in the fight against Ebola. Totaling $950 million, the financial support was confirmed at the World Bank-IMF Spring Meeting held in the United States this past weekend.

The funds, $300 million from AfDB and $650 million from WBG, will be used to restore social and economic stability to the three Ebola-affected countries in West Africa by improving existing health facilities, advancing the supply of electricity, water and sanitation and upgrading and maintaining the road systems.

“A reduction in the number of new Ebola cases is evident over the past few weeks and the African Union Support to Ebola in West Africa (ASEOWA) is focused on getting each affected country to zero cases so that the socio-economic recovery can begin in earnest. The financial support provided by both AfDB and the WBG will go a long way in helping affected citizens recover from the devastating impact of the disease; we are grateful for the continued support of both AfDB and WBG since the outbreak of Ebola in December 2013”, explained Dr. Dlamini Zuma.

The funds will be allocated in accordance with the agreements signed by the three heads of State of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone and the funders.

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About #AfricaAgainstEbola:
The #AfricaAgainstEbola campaign is coordinated by the Africa Against Ebola Solidarity Trust, a registered charity, in partnership with the African Union. All donations made to the Africa Against Ebola Solidarity Trust will be used to train, equip and deploy African health workers in the fight against Ebola and to build long term local health capacity. In partnership with the African Union, our mission is to mobilize resources to send much-needed health workers – drawn from within Africa – to the Ebola-afflicted countries. Under the operational coordination of the African Union Support to West Africa (ASEOWA), trained doctors and nurses will care for those infected, help contain the disease and strengthen local hospitals and care centers. Our vision is a resilient Africa that is able to respond effectively and rapidly in times of crisis.

Resource Mobilisation
The African Union recently introduced a campaign, #AfricaAgainstEbola, to mobilise citizens in the fight against the disease. SMS “Stop Ebola” to 7979 or visit the campaign’s official website, http://www.africaagainstebola.org/ to donate $1 or for more information.

For more information:
Wynne Musabayana | Deputy Head of Division | Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission | Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00 | Fax: (251) 11 551 78 44 | E-mail: MusabayanaW@africa-union.org | Web: www.au.int|Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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