Antananarivo – The World Bank has earmarked a total of $490 million to help Madagascar buy Covid vaccines and finance development projects, the two sides announced on Wednesday.
The Bank will provide a grant of 100 million euros to help the Indian Ocean island purchase vaccines and boost its health system, Economy Minister Richard Randriamandrato told AFP.
Madagascar wants to vaccinate more than half of its adult population by the end of 2022, “a goal that is ambitious but not impossible,” the World Bank’s local representative, Marie-Chantal Uwanyiligira, said.
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Another $40 million, in the form of an emergency grant, will finance sustainable and innovative agriculture, particularly in irrigation.
The Bank has also set aside $150 million to help tourism, agribusiness and the digital economy, which are seen as having promising growth potential, and $200 million to maintain 1 200km of roads and strengthen their resistance to climate change.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Getty Images
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