Renowned Chinese billionaire and co-founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, has pledged to donate crucial medical supplies including masks, test kits, and protective suits to aid all countries in Africa in their battle against the novel coronavirus.
According to a statement released on Monday, The Jack Ma Foundation will contribute a total of 1.1 million testing kits, six million masks, and 60,000 protective suits and face shields to support the continent.
In addition, they will collaborate with local medical institutions in Africa to provide online training resources for coronavirus clinical treatments.
A statement signed by Jack Ma emphasized, “The world cannot afford the unthinkable consequences of a COVID-19 pandemic in Africa.”
Furthermore, he stated, “To address the potential surge in demand for medical supplies and equipment in Africa, Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation will donate 20,000 testing kits, 100,000 masks, and 1,000 medical use protective suits and face shields to each of the 54 African nations.”
The items will be dispatched to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will oversee the distribution of the supplies to other African countries, Ma announced.
The Jack Ma Foundation’s statement further added, “In total, 1.1 million testing kits, 6 million masks, and 60,000 medical use protective suits and face shields will be delivered to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali of Ethiopia has agreed to take the lead in managing the logistics and distribution of these supplies to the other African countries. I want to express a big ‘Thank You’ to the Ethiopian government and Prime Minister Abiy.”
The Jack Ma Foundation has also extended similar donations to countries in other continents as part of their efforts to better equip them in the fight against COVID-19.