I support the call for mobilising $100bn into the continent- Zainab Ahmed

Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed has endorsed the call for the mobilisation of $100bn to the African continent as an emergency response, with $44bn of the amount earmarked for immediate debt relief.

She made this statement on Friday in a tweet.

"The call by African leaders for the international community to scale up urgent support to the vulnerable in Sub-Saharan African countries with the aim to enable coping with the #Covid19 pandemic is not only timely but urgent," she said.

Noting that Africa has contended with multiple external shocks such as falling commodity prices, trade disruptions and rapidly rising debt levels; Ahmed revealed that the nation was strengthening social safety nets to ease economic burdens off the population.

Extending her gratitude to the World Bank, she thanked them for the $14bn donation.

"We appreciate the World Bank for its timely response with $14bn to assist countries to mitigate the initial impact of the pandemic on the human population. We also welcome & commend its strong and forward-looking commitment to support developing countries’ efforts to restart their economies," the Finance Minister said.

The call by African leaders for the international community to scale up urgent support to the vulnerable in Sub-Saharan African countries with the aim to enable coping with the #Covid19 pandemic is not only timely but urgent. pic.twitter.com/NQM0QeqKef

— Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed (@ZShamsuna) April 17, 2020