Andrew
Online Reporter
GOVERNMENT and the World Bank Group, as the Fund Administrator of the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program and the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Trust Fund, have signed a financing agreement of US$6,6 million for the Zimbabwe Covid-19 Emergency Response Project (ZCERP).
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.
These activities will be complemented by interventions that strengthen the capacity for routine modelling and genomic sequencing analysis to provide timely information on hotspots and groups to be targeted for vaccination.
In addition, the project will finance activities that increase community level knowledge on vaccination benefits vis-a-vis risks through strengthened communication and community engagement while also enhancing the capacity of health workers to implement appropriate infection prevention and control measures.
Said World Bank country director for Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, and Malawi, Ms Mara Warwick:
“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 Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube:
“While the Government has already committed at least US$100 million to finance vaccine procurement, we are pleased to sign this agreement as it will enable us to leverage our existing efforts through a package of prioritised activities to address operational inefficiencies and inequities in access and uptake of vaccines, and other selected Covid-19 response activities.”
The ZCERP builds on US$7 million in financing that the World Bank mobilised in operational support to the health sector in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Online Reporter