- President Cyril Ramaphosa called on global leaders to maintain or increase their pledges in the fight against Ebola.
- The president announced South Africa had increased its share of pledges to $13.5 million
- Ramaphosa is the African Union Champion on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that South Africa has increased its support to fight the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
He announced that the country had increased its pledge of support to $13.5 million, up from $5 million.
The president, in his capacity as the African Union Champion on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, addressed a high-level virtual meeting of heads of state, government, and partners on the Ebola outbreak on Tuesday.
Making the opening remarks at the meeting, Ramaphosa said the increased pledge was South Africa’s commitment to “solidarity and sovereignty for the people of this continent”.
The current outbreak in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda has been hampered by several problems.
READ | Ebola emergency: DRC outbreak crosses into Uganda as WHO scrambles to catch up
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there was no vaccine or specific treatment for this strain, although testing was under way.
The affected areas are remote and densely populated and are characterised by insecurity and high population and trade movements.
In May, South Africa pledged the initial $5 million.
On Tuesday, Ramaphosa said: “I call upon all leaders to maintain or increase their pledges, and all those who made pledges at the last meeting to convert them in full into cash, medical countermeasures or technical assistance.”
The president added that, with no vaccine or antiviral, “every day that transmission continues unchecked, the human cost rises”.
According to the WHO, by 10 June, there had been 676 confirmed cases, including 136 deaths within the DRC. In neighbouring Uganda, by 11 June, there were 19 confirmed cases, including two deaths.
Ramaphosa said the outbreak demonstrated that “delayed action can transform a localised outbreak into a regional and global crisis”.
This is why our response must focus on breaking the transmission and stopping Ebola at its source.
During the briefing, he told his fellow African leaders that the response to Ebola “cannot end when this outbreak ends … this moment must become a turning point”.
Ramaphosa urged the leaders to accelerate investment in local manufacturing, strengthen the African Medicines Agency, and operationalise the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism.
He said African manufacturers must have predictable markets, and African countries must have access to lifesaving products.
“I call upon African financial institutions, development banks, philanthropies, and the African private sector to join governments in this effort,” Ramaphosa added.
“I call upon our international partners to continue to stand with Africa in a spirit of solidarity and mutual responsibility.”
