France alongside the DRC in the fight against covid-19 with an announcement of emergency aid of € 5 million

In the difficult times experienced by the Congolese people, solidarity must prevail; it contributes to the resilience of society.

Based on this mindset, the French Embassy in DR. Congo participates in this collective effort and mobilizes, with support from the Crisis and Support Center of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the French Development Agency, making quickly available an emergency aid of 5 million euros. 

It will also accelerate and strengthen its support programs for the health system and the economic fabric.

"France is mobilizing in emergency, like other DRC partners, European and international, and despite the constraints linked to the epidemic in Europe " said the Ambassador of France in Democratic Republic of Congo, François Pujolas. 

"We want to be with the Congolese, to help urgently to cope to the epidemic, by redirecting certain spending on cooperation, but also by anticipating the need to preserve the economic and social fabric ”, he added.

The French Embassy will announce in the coming days, together with Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, support to the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) to strengthen its capacities Covid-19 diagnosis. In addition, a highly specialized laboratory, provided by the Mérieux Foundation to the INRB, will soon be put into operation in Goma in the eastern part of DRC, to decentralize the carrying out of tests Confirmation of Covid-19.

Also in emergency, the French Red Cross, with the support of the French Embassy, ​​will intervene in the Kinshasa structures for the care of patients to strengthen prevention and control infections, especially in hospitals in the capital designated to receive patients with by Covid 19. In the East of the congolese territory, where the epidemic is starting to take hold, the RFI Club of Goma is already taking action awareness raising on the prevention of Covid 19 which will be reinforced. Other awareness projects,

infection prevention and control, and access to water will be launched very soon with the support from France, through operators such as Expertise France or the NGO Solidarités International.

Finally, exceptional funding of € 2 million will be allocated in a few days to support the hospital Monkole and the Hospital Platform, benchmark establishments in the fight against covid-19, especially in their needs for equipment and supplies.

In total, it is an envelope of more than 5 M € (5.5 M $) which should allow emergency intervention on this health crisis.

At the same time, the medium-term actions, included in the Franco-Congolese roadmap to fight the epidemics adopted during the meeting between Presidents Tshisekedi and Macron on November 13.

In the East, the French Development Agency will support from this year two Goma health zones (€ 9 million) and will provide medium-term support (3 years - € 6 million) to NGOs operating in Nork-Kivu in the fight against the health, economic and social effects of epidemics. 

In Kinshasa, the PROMEKIN II project (€ 15 million) will be accelerated to start very soon.

In Kingasani and Binza Météo in Kimshasa area health zones, including Covid-19 control activities.

These structuring actions are consistent with the strengthening of the care structures provided for in the framework of the National Response Plan to Covid-19. Hospitals, health centers but also authorities are at the heart of this strategy.

In order to contribute to the consolidation of the productive fabric, made more necessary than ever by the crisis of Covid-19, the group of the French Development Agency (AFD) will support two institutions serving microfinance and very small, small and medium-sized enterprises (VSEs):

• Proparco, an AFD subsidiary dedicated to the private sector, signed on March 10 a line of 2.8 M € (3 M $) funding to support very small businesses, which are facing difficulties more than ever cash and constraints on their investments.

• AFD awarded the financial inclusion fund FPM ASBL a € 5 million grant intended for support microfinance institutions which are privileged interlocutors for micro-entrepreneurs and people without access to the banking sector.

The current covid-19 pandemic is a scourge of international concern. "We cannot meet this challenge than together. And it is in this joint action that our partnership will show all its vigor and all its usefulness, "said the French ambassador.

Cassien Tribunal Aungane, Editor