AfDB provides over 180-million-euro Loan to Mauritian response to COVID-19 pandemic
Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (PANA) - The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) approved, on May 22 in Abidjan, a loan of 188 million euros to the Republic of Mauritius, under the Facility for rapid response to COVID-19 ( CRF), to finance the Pandemic Response Budget Support Program.
The main objective of the program, set up by the Mauritian authorities, is to support national measures to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and to mitigate the harmful effects of this disease on public health, society and economy.
According to the media channel of the AfDB, the loan is intended to strengthen health systems, protect livelihoods, income security and access to essential goods and services, and build a resilient private sector to prepare for the recovery of the economy.
The Mauritian government is targeting three types of results: building better preparedness and response to crises; achieve support for vulnerable groups and the informal sector made possible by the funding of social protection schemes; minimize job losses by strengthening the resilience of microenterprises and SMEs.
Mauritians, especially those belonging to the lowest quintile of the population, will be among the major beneficiaries of this program, as will workers in the informal sector, employees facing immediate dismissal and a risk of poverty. transient as well as a number of vulnerable people.
On March 18, Mauritius recorded its first three cases of COVID-19, all from abroad.
According to the government, on April 6, 133 cases were transmitted locally (54.5% of the cases identified) and 332 by the end of April. However, this number has not changed for more than three weeks. A total of ten deaths have been reported.
-0- PANA VAO 22May2020
