African Union special envoy Strive Masiyiwa

President Cyril Ramaphosa said a new continental online platform will help African countries to access critical medical supplies needed to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The president, in his capacity as chairman of the African Union, said this when he launched the Africa Medical Supplies Platform on Thursday evening.

Think of it as the Amazon, the Alibaba or even the eBay of coronavirus resources on the African continent, made in Africa by Africans…

“Think of it as the Amazon, the Alibaba or even the eBay of coronavirus resources on the African continent, made in Africa by Africans, the fundamental difference being that on this platform, the buyer is not an individual but governments,” he said.

The Africa Medical Supplies Platform, developed in partnership with African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), is a non-profit initiative launched by the African Union as an immediate, integrated and practical response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The online platform was developed under the leadership of African Union special envoy Strive Masiyiwa and powered by Janngo, on behalf of the African Union’s Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).