Zimbabwe government has established a National Disaster Fund dedicated to receiving contributions to fight the COVID-19.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the COVID-19 pandemic is undoubtedly very likely to be one of the worst natural disasters to befall Zimbabwe in recent times.
He said,”… the scale and seriousness of this epidemic (COVID-19) calls upon all of us as Zimbabweans to put our best foot forward and I, therefore, wish to assist in any way to come forward with their contributions to the effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“In that regard, the Government has established a National Disaster Fund dedicated to receive and account for contributions from Development Partners and a wide spectrum fo well-wishers and ring fencing them for deployment to address and mitigate the effects of such adverse occurrences.”
The Government opens the National Disaster Fund after the Finance Minister revealed that international donors pledged close to US$100m to help Zimbabwe fight the COVID-19.
The Global Fund pledged US$25 million, while the World Bank promised US$ million and the United States government also promising US$470 000.
“Development partners are complementing government efforts in a number of ways focusing on humanitarian assistance,” Ncube is quoted in local media.
“Given the magnitude of the resources required to fight this crisis, government will continue to approach and engage more development partners as well as our own private sector to combine efforts towards fighting this pandemic.”
Zimbabwe Government, on its part, set aside over ZWL$500 to cover one million vulnerable households, caught up in lockdown, under a cash transfer programme for the next three months.
The current administration also provided ZWL$50million to Premier Services Medical Aid Society in preparation for government workers who directly contact COVID-19 patience to prepare for COVID-19.
“Government has in response, set aside significant resources towards efforts to mitigate the immediate, medium and long-term effects of this global pandemic on our people and the broader economy,” Ncube said.
