The government of France has donated items valued at 2,711,050 euros (Shs10.8 billion) as a new gesture of solidarity towards a friendly country in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
The donation includes one million FFP2 face masks, fifty-four thousand six hundred antigenic testing kits and nine Osiris3 respirators and these will contribute to the government’s interventions against the new wave.
Speaking during the handover of the items at National Medical Stores in Entebbe, Jules-Armand Aniambossou, the Ambassador of France to Uganda said that Uganda, like France, and the whole world, is facing a pandemic that is straining the health systems and this is why there is need for a joint response.
“International solidarity is paramount. As President Emmanuel Macron said, a multilateral approach is the only response to the current world public health emergency. France has played a key role alongside World Health Organization and others in support of the establishment of the Access to Covid-19 tools,”
Aniambossou said it is estimated that developing countries would need nearly two billion doses of vaccines by the end of 2021 in order to protect at least 20% of their populations and France has pledged 600 million euros and 60 million doses of vaccines by the end of 2021.
“My President has made several attempts to rally the international community in favour of the poorest countries, especially in Africa. At the G7 summit last February, Macron called on Europe and the developed countries to allocate 4 to 5% of their Covid-19 vaccine stocks to the Covax facility for the benefit of the poorest countries, especially Africa,” said Aniambossou.
Aniambossou said France supports cooperation with African institutions like the African CDC and the network of Institute Pasteur that are essential in identifying and containing the risks of variants.
Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister said that the contribution is further testimony of the long-standing solidarity between the French people and the people of Uganda adding that the country deeply values the relationship between the two governments and peoples.
“As we say, a friend in need, is a friend indeed. France has ably demonstrated this friendship in many ways and consistently over the years. Let me, in a special way, thank you, your Excellency, for the efforts you personally put in to ensure that these items get delivered in time,” she said.
Nabbanja said that the fight against Covid-19 is one that can only be won when the international community acts collectively and in solidarity.
“No one can be safe unless everyone is safe, because the world is now very connected through trade, travel and tourism. This Covid-19 has shown us that the pandemic doesn’t know or respect national boundaries. This support from France therefore, is a welcome sign of solidarity and realization of this fact,” she said.
Nabbanja also thanked NMS for the continued efforts put in procuring and transporting the essential medicine and PPEs amidst the pandemic.