1. The government of the Republic of Korea, in cooperation with the African Union (AU), Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), will provide 2 million face masks (KF94) to sub-Saharan African countries.

o The face masks will be sent to Addis Ababa starting from July 21 and be distributed mainly to medical personnel in urgent need in the 28 countries through the Africa CDC with its extensive flight networks in the region.

2. The assistance provided in cooperation with the Africa CDC represents the ROK government’s strong will to support the African region’s efforts to respond to COVID-19, and is expected to further enhance the ROK-Africa friendly relations.

o In addition, the ROK government has shared its experiences in containing COVID-19, including by holding a video conference on COVID-19 response with the Africa CDC (May 26), and is working on a program worth 5 million U.S. dollars to strengthen the Africa CDC’s overall capacity.

3. The ROK government has been providing humanitarian assistance worth 13 million U.S. dollars to Africa and will continue extending support to help the region tackle COVID-19 and strengthen the health system.