Private aid from China helps fight pandemic in Africa

The private sector in China has made considerable efforts to help Africa fight the COVID-19 pandemic, as the continent may lack sufficient resources to tackle the outbreak.

The Jack Ma Foundation, set up by the Alibaba founder in 2014, said: "The epidemic is a common challenge for all mankind. The virus knows no borders, and only when all mankind joins hands can we defeat it. Our foundation will try its best to offer help and share experience with those in need."

One of the foundation's four key focuses is medical support and environmental protection.

Since the first coronavirus case in Africa was reported on Feb 14 in Egypt, the outbreak has spread to all 54 countries on the continent.

Through cooperation with local governments and international organizations, the foundation has donated medical materials urgently needed by these nations, including reagents, ventilators and protective equipment.

In March, the foundation initially donated 20,000 testing kits, 100,000 face masks and 1,000 protective medical suits and face shields to each African country.

The following month it made a second donation to the nations that included 500 ventilators, 200,000 medical suits and face shields, 2,000 thermometers, 1 million swabs and 500,000 protective gloves. A third donation made to the African Union and African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included 4.6 million face masks, 500,000 swabs and test kits, and 300 ventilators.

The foundation has also launched an online platform, Global MediXchange for Combating COVID-19, through which Chinese frontline medical workers share with counterparts in Africa their experience in fighting the pandemic.

A handbook published by the foundation on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 has been translated into more than 30 languages, including Swahili and Hausa in Africa.

The foundation said: "No matter how powerful a country may seem, it is vulnerable to the virus, and no country can deal with it alone. We hope that through the sharing of experience, medical staff in other countries don't have to learn about the virus starting from scratch."

Diana Chen, chairman and founder of Choice International Trading, a company based in China, has donated an ambulance, 50,000 face masks and the equivalent of $55,000 to combat COVID-19 in Nigeria.

"Now, more than ever, we all need to show serious concern and commitment to eliminating the threat of this virus so that life can return to normal," Chen said.

She added that private organizations and individuals should join hands with the Chinese government in fighting the virus, as defeating it cannot be achieved by the authorities alone.

He Yun, an assistant professor at Hunan University's School of Public Administration in Changsha, said COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on the African economy. The price for raw materials, such as minerals－one of the main sources of income－has fallen dramatically, while the service and manufacturing sectors have also been badly hit.

"In South Africa, there is a growing problem of hunger and the danger of social unrest on a large scale, but the country cannot effectively deal with these problems unless it has the pandemic under control," He said.