Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has vowed to continue working together with Tanzanian experts, to enable the country to secure funds for mitigating effects of Covid- 19 in various sectors of production.
The IMF Director for Africa, Abebe Aemro Selassie said this yesterday when he met President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the Chamwino State House in Dodoma. Mr Selassie, who was delivering a message from IMF’s Director General Kristalina Georgieva, mentioned health, water and tourism as among the key sectors that were affected by the global coronavirus pandemic.
The IMF boss assured President Samia of the Fund’s bold commitment to support Tanzania in attaining its development goals.
“IMF is ready to work closely with Tanzanian experts on preparing an application for the country to secure funds that will help in mitigating the impacts of Covid-19,” Mr Selassie was quoted in the statement issued by the Director of Presidential Communications Jaffar Haniu yesterday.
President Samia told the IMF envoy that a special team of experts she formed to professionally evaluate the Covid-19 pandemic, would team up with the Ministry of Finance and Planning to prepare an application for Covid-19 recovery fund.
The Head of State also acknowledged the IMF for its continued support to Tanzania for the country to meet targets as highlighted in the National Development Plan III.
On Monday, President Samia said the country’s experts were working on the kind of vaccines, which the country can acquire and administer to the people through voluntary procedure.
She revealed the government’s ongoing initiatives on Monday when she was responding to questions posed by editors and media practitioners at the State House in Dar es Salaam.
She noted that the country has resorted to moving along with the rest of the world, noting that it was learnt that the first wave slightly affected the country because the alert was high.
According to President Samia, a good number of international organisations have offered to support Tanzania, yet still it is for the country’s experts to advise on the kind of vaccine to be approved for use.
“Tanzania has secured a sum of 470 million US dollars equivalent to 1.08tri/- for battling Covid-19, which will be distributed into two halves for protection and support the sectors which have been hit hard by the pandemic,” noted President Samia.
She said the situation in neighbouring countries and the country’s borders is alarming, emphasising people to play their part and mostly the protection of children.
“The second wave’s effects were a bit extreme as compared to the first wave and the third wave is taking a huge toll across the world,” she said, urging Tanzanians to resort to all the necessary preventive measures, particularly those being recommended by experts.
President Samia also revealed that so far, Tanzania has over 100 Covid-19 patients admitted to the country’s hospitals, among whom, 70 patients have been placed on ventilators.
