US offers aid to South Africa to help fight the coronavirus

The US government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is donating up to 1,000 ventilators and accompanying equipment to South Africa to assist with its national response to Covid-19.

The donated ventilators, which were produced in the United States, reflect state-of-the-art and in-demand technology, the US Embassy said in a statement on Tuesday (12 May).

It said that the ventilators are compact, deployable, and support both invasive and non-invasive applications.

“For more than a half-century, the United States has been the largest contributor to global health security and humanitarian assistance.

“These ventilators are another example of the American spirit of generosity as we battle this virus at home in the United States and together abroad with our partner countries,” said US ambassador Lana Marks.

Marks said that the ventilators will give South Africa flexibility in treating those patients affected by the virus. life-saving ventilator units alone are valued at $14 million (R255 million), with the accompanying equipment, service plans, and shipping totalling over $20 million (R364 million).

The embassy noted that the ventilator donation is in addition to our previously announced support to South Africa for Covid-19.

Previously the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has committed $13.2 million (R240.6 million) in funding, along with $8.4 million (R153 million) in assistance through the U.S. Department of Defense which provided the first in a series of donations of personal protective equipment.

Altogether, this brings the total US, government financial commitment to South Africa’s Covid-19 response to over US$41.6 million (R767 million).

Additionally, through the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the United States is supporting up to 5,400 community healthcare workers to assist with the South African government’s community Covid-19 screening campaign and provide HIV treatment support on the front lines.

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Boko Haram: US announces additional N14.5bn aid to Nigeria

By Wale Odunsi

The United States has announced an additional $40million (N14 billion) aid to Nigeria as to address the humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency.

US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, made the announcement in Washington DC on Tuesday.

Pompeo spoke during a joint media briefing with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, after the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission (BNC) meeting hosted by the Department of State.

“The foreign minister (Onyeama) and I also discussed today the massive humanitarian crisis that the conflict with Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa and other religious and ethnic violence.

“We know that these issues are hard. We know that they’re complicated.

“But I strongly encouraged the Nigerian government to do more to protect its civilians, including religious communities and the humanitarian organisations seeking to assist them.

“To aid in this effort, I’m pleased to announce today an additional 40 million dollars in humanitarian assistance to Nigeria, adding to the nearly 350 million dollars that we provided last year,’’ he said.

Pompeo disclosed that the two-day meeting also featured discussions on security cooperation between both countries, especially Nigeria’s “recent purchase’’ of 12 U.S.-made A-29 fighter planes worth 500 million dollars.

Onyeama, in his remarks, said: “Of course, we are faced with other security issues within Nigeria, and we know that some of them cause disquiet amongst our partners and we are addressing a number of those.

“And in addressing those internal challenges, and especially in the security area, we absolutely make it clear and strive to uphold human rights.

“We have the greatest interest in protecting and respecting the human rights of our population and we do that.”

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