In support of the COVID-19 response efforts in Africa, the Rockefeller Foundation has pledged an initial sum of $34.95 million.
The sum will be channeled into facets like leverage innovation, data, machine learning, equitable access to COVID-19 testing, and vaccines.
Other things that will be tackled with the fund include the containment of the escalation of the food crisis on the continent, and scaling up of access to renewable energy in Africa.
Rockefeller Foundation’s Collaborators
The foundation will be working alongside 24 other organisations, businesses, and government agencies.
Countries that stand to benefit from the collaboration include Nigeria; South Africa; Rwanda; Ghana; Kenya; Ethiopia; Burkina Faso; Tanzania; Uganda; and Zambia.
This disclosure comes over three months after the foundation announced the commitment of $1 billion over the span of three years to support the fight against COVID-19.
Speaking on the development the President of The Rockefeller Foundation Rajiv J. Shah, said, “Since The Rockefeller Foundation first opened its Africa Regional Office in Nairobi in 1966, the region has remained a top priority for us.
“With this initial round of funding, we are beginning to deliver on our billion-dollar pledge to help end the Covid-19 pandemic in Africa and for us all, while investing in wealth-building opportunities for those who have been shut out of economic progress and are bearing the brunt of this pandemic.”
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Adding to Shah’s remarks, the Managing Director and Head of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Africa Regional Office, William Asiko, said, “We are very pleased to be committing over USD 30 million to ensure a sustainable, equitable Covid-19 response in Africa,.
“A significant portion of this funding will benefit the Africa CDC’s effort to accelerate testing and tracing in several countries across the continent.
“These efforts will allow Governments at national and subnational levels to make informed policy decisions about lifting restrictions on movement and thereby re-opening economic activity.”
Bridging the Health Inequity Gap In Africa
A large chunk of the pan-African commitment is directed to the Africa Public Health Foundation in support of the Africa Centres for Disease Control (CDC).
Rockefeller disclosed that a $12 million grant will be provided for the expansion of testing centres to both urban and rural areas.
Other Projects
The foundation is also doling out funds to organisations working across the African continent, and they include:
Ending Pandemics to scale the crowdsourced epidemic intelligence platform, EpiCore, and support EAIDSNet in Tanzania to improve their abilities to prevent, detect, and respond to outbreaks through a One Health approach;
Lacuna Fund, a project of Meridian Institute, awarded funding to six teams across the continent to build locally representative datasets to reduce bias in machine learning tools for agriculture analytics, fuelling an equitable recovery for farmers;
Malaria No Moreto establish a guarantee facility through The Health Finance Coalition to unlock working capital for private small and medium size healthcare providers in Africa;
Praekelt.org to launch an initiative to integrate Ada’s AI-powered health assessments into the South African National Department of Health’s MomConnect platform with potential to provide over 1 million mothers and young children across South Africa with access to intelligent healthcare technology;
Shining Hope for Communities to expand Covid-19 testing and tracing efforts in Kenyan Informal Settlements because Covid-19 poses even greater risks to those living in densely populated communities with less access to healthcare and sanitation services;
Speak Up Africa to encourage and promote positive social behavior change to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
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Unlocking Access To Opportunity, Fight Against COVID-19
Food insecurity in the world has been made worse by COVID-19. It is estimated, by the World Food Programme, that 270 million people do not have enough to eat.
Responding to this need, the foundation’s efforts will be focused on the urgency of the food crisis triggered by the pandemic.
Through the Rockefeller Foundation Catalytic Capital (RFCC), the sum of $5 million will be disbursed to support the structuring and implementation of an accelerator that will bolster agriculture and protective foods SMEs.
Organisations that will benefit from the fund include African Population and Health Research Center, Vanguard Economics, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, Darkpore Media Africa, Seed Systems Group, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.
What does the Foundation do?
It pushes boundaries in science, data, and innovation to help solve challenges faces the world.
The foundation also seeks to spur and foster large-scale human impact that advances the well-being of humanity globally.
