By XINHUA
Zimbabwe on Wednesday signed a 6.6 million U.S. dollar grant with the World Bank aimed at boosting the southern African country’s COVID-19 vaccination program.
“Financing for the project, which comes in the form of a grant, aims to support the deployment and management of COVID-19 vaccines and strengthen related health system capacity in Zimbabwe,” Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development said in a statement.
The support, under the Zimbabwe COVID-19 Emergency Response Project (ZCERP), will ensure adequate vaccine deployment activities including outreach, equipment, and training of health care workers. It will also support the implementation of a tracking system to monitor and ensure equitable vaccine coverage, the statement said.
“The project (ZCERP) will provide essential resources to support the deployment of vaccines that meet the World Bank’s Vaccine Approval Criteria, improving health system capacity for a sustained and comprehensive pandemic response in Zimbabwe,” said Mara Warwick, World Bank Country Director for Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the financial support will enable Zimbabwe to leverage its existing efforts through a package of prioritized activities to address operational inefficiencies and inequities in access and uptake of vaccines, and other selected COVID-19 response activities.
“While the government has already committed at least 100 million U.S. dollars to finance vaccine procurement, we are pleased to sign this agreement,” Ncube said.
The project will be implemented by the Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid (CORDAID-Project Implementing Entity).
The ZCERP builds on 7 million U.S. dollars in financing that the World Bank mobilized in operational support to the country’s health sector in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said last month the country has vaccinated over 40 percent of its eligible population against COVID-19.
