Coronavirus: AfDB boosts Senegal's pandemic economic, social resilience programme

30 Mai 2020

Nairobi, Kenya, May 30 (Infosplusgabon)- The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) on Friday approved a loan of 88 million euros to Senegal in support of  the costs of its national coronavirus Economic and Social Resilience Programme.

The financing, which falls under the Bank’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Facility, will provide the nation with an emergency budget support programme, the bank said in a press release on Saturday.

As of Friday, hard-hit Senegal had recorded 3,535 pandemic cases, 1,761 recoveries and 41 fatalities.

Known as  PUARC, the programme seeks to address the health, social and economic impacts of the crisis.

The operation will target support measures providing relief to the most vulnerable households, while safeguarding jobs and enabling businesses to quickly resume.

AfDB, a multilateral lender, said the operation will help strengthen the health contingency action plan through support to patient case management and care facilities.

This will be attained through the construction of three new Epidemic Treatment Centers (ETCs),and upgrading of 7 others., as well as improving capacities of the intensive care units.

PUARC will also support the distribution of food kits and the payment of the electricity and water bills for vulnerable households.

The bank said the emergency measures emergency should enable both rural and urban households to make up for the loss of income caused by the pandemic.

The measures should also boost cash transfers for the poorest.

The operation will support the adoption of measures to shield workers from dismissal and technical unemployment during the pandemic, ensuring that workers are paid a guaranteed minimum wage.

“Senegal is among the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to face the pandemic. I congratulate the government for the significant efforts deployed and for the bold measures taken at a very early stage,'' said  AfDB Director General for West Africa Region Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade.

The bold measures taken by the Senegalese Government helped to control the spread of the virus and its social and economic impact,” Olugbade said.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/LMP/GABON2020

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