• Update: The United States is Continuing to Lead the Response to COVID-19
• AFRICOM Commander engages Senegal's Chief of Defense

Update: The United States is Continuing to Lead the Response to COVID-19

Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
May 1, 2020

Through the American people’s generosity and the U.S. government’s action, the United States continues to demonstrate global leadership in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Months into fighting this pandemic at home and abroad, the United States remains the largest single country donor to the response efforts globally, building on decades of leadership in life-saving health and humanitarian assistance.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. Government has committed more than $775 million in emergency health, humanitarian, economic and development assistance specifically aimed at helping governments, international organizations, and NGOs fight the pandemic. This funding, provided by Congress, will save lives by improving public health education, protecting healthcare facilities, and increasing laboratory, disease-surveillance, and rapid-response capacity in more than 120 countries.

The COVID-19 assistance to-date from the State Department and USAID includes:

• Nearly $200 million in emergency health assistance from USAID’s Global Health Emergency Reserve Fund for Contagious Infectious-Disease Outbreaks and Global Health Programs account. These funds prioritized interventions to mitigate and prepare communities in developing countries affected and at-risk of COVID-19.
• Nearly $300 million in humanitarian assistance from USAID’s International Disaster Assistance (IDA) account. These funds prioritize populations affected by ongoing humanitarian crises, particularly displaced people, because of their heightened vulnerability, the elevated risk of severe outbreaks in camps and informal settlements and anticipated disproportionate mortality in these populations.
• More than $150 million from the Economic Support Fund (ESF). These funds will promote American foreign policy interests by supporting shorter-term mitigation efforts and addressing second-order impacts from the pandemic in the long term, across a variety of sectors.
• More than $130 million in humanitarian assistance from the Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account, provided through the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. These funds will help international organization and NGO partners address challenges posed by the pandemic in refugee, IDP, and hosting communities as well as other migrants and other vulnerable people in both global and local humanitarian responses.

This new assistance is in addition to the more than $100 billion in global health funding and nearly $70 billion in overseas humanitarian assistance provided by the United States in the last decade alone.

In addition to this direct U.S. government funding, our All-of-America approach is helping people around the world through the generosity of American private businesses, nonprofit groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, and individuals. Together, Americans have committed an estimated nearly $6.5 billion in government and non-government donations and assistance in the global COVID-19 response.

In order to meet the most urgent needs, U.S. government departments and agencies are coordinating efforts to prioritize foreign assistance to maximize the potential for impact. The United States is providing the following assistance through the State Department and USAID:

Africa:

• Angola: $570,000 for health assistance is helping provide risk-communications and water and sanitation, and prevent and control infections in key health facilities in Angola. This assistance comes on top of long-term U.S. investments in Angola, which total $1.48 billion over the past 20 years, including $613 million for health assistance.
• Botswana: $1.5 million in health assistance to address the outbreak. This assistance builds on nearly $1.2 billion in total assistance in Botswana over the last 20 years, $1.1 billion of which was for health.
• Burkina Faso: Nearly $7 million in health and humanitarian funding will go toward risk-communications, water and sanitation, preventing and controlling infections in health facilities, public-health messaging, and more. This includes $2.5 million in health assistance, $1.5 million in IDA humanitarian assistance, and nearly $2.8 million in MRA humanitarian assistance, which will help protect the health of vulnerable people in Burkina Faso during the pandemic. Over the past 20 years, the United States has invested more than $2.4 billion total in Burkina Faso, $222 million for health alone.
• Burundi: More than $1 million in MRA humanitarian assistance will help protect the health of vulnerable people. The United States has invested more than $997 million in total assistance for Burundi, including more than $254 million in health assistance, over the past 20 years.
• Cameroon: Nearly $8 million for health and humanitarian assistance will help provide infection-control in key health facilities, strengthen laboratories and surveillance, prepare communities, and bolster local messaging. This includes $6.1 million for health and IDA humanitarian assistance from USAID, in addition to nearly $1.9 million in MRA humanitarian assistance to support refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and their host communities. This assistance builds upon more than $960 million in total U.S. investment in the country over the past 20 years, $390 million of which was for health.
• Central African Republic: More than $10 million in humanitarian assistance, including $6.5 million in IDA humanitarian assistance that will go toward risk-communications, preventing and controlling infections for health facilities, and safe water supplies, and more than $3.5 million in MRA humanitarian assistance that will help protect the health of vulnerable people in the Central African Republic during the pandemic. The U.S. Government has provided $822.6 million in total in the Central African Republic over the last 20 years, including $4.5 million in emergency health assistance in FY 2019.
• Republic of Congo (ROC): $250,000 in health assistance will address the outbreak. The United States has invested in the Republic of Congo for decades, with more than $171.2 million in total U.S. assistance for the ROC over the last 20 years, $36.8 million of which was for health.
• Chad: More than $3.5 million in humanitarian assistance, including $1 million from the IDA account for preventing and controlling infections for health facilities, raising community awareness of COVID-19, and improving hygiene, and nearly $2.6 million in MRA humanitarian assistance to help protect the health of vulnerable people in Chad during the pandemic. This new assistance builds upon the foundation of nearly $2 billion in total U.S. assistance over the last 20 years, including more than $30 million for health.
• Côte d’Ivoire: $1.6 million in health assistance to address the outbreak. Over the past 20 years, the United States has invested more than $2.1 billion in long-term development and other assistance in Côte d’Ivoire.
• Democratic Republic of the Congo: More than $26 million, including $16 million in health and IDA humanitarian assistance that will improve the prevention and control of infections for health facilities, and support improved awareness of COVID-19, including by working with religious leaders and journalists on risk-communication messaging. More than $5 million in MRA humanitarian assistance will help protect vulnerable people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the pandemic. Finally, approximately $5 million in ESF will go toward distance education and alternative education for Congolese children and youth so they can continue to learn and maintain protective routines and social connections while schools are closed across the country. This builds upon more than $6.3 billion in total U.S. assistance over the past 20 years, including more than $1.5 billion for health.
• Djibouti: $500,000 in health assistance to address the outbreak. The United States has already invested more than $338 million total in Djibouti over the last 20 years.
• Eswatini: $750,000 in health assistance to address the outbreak. Funds will go to bolstering Eswatini’s emergency health response, which could include the procurement of supplies, contact-tracing, laboratory diagnostics, and raising public awareness. This assistance builds upon the foundation of U.S. government investments in the Kingdom, which total more than $529 million in total assistance over the last 20 years, including more than $490 million for health.
• Ethiopia: More than $20.5 million in assistance to counter COVID-19, including more than $10.9 million for health and IDA humanitarian assistance for risk-communications, the prevention and control of infections for health facilities, disease-surveillance, contact-tracing, and coordination; $7 million in ESF that will support continued operations in a major industrial park, to preserve critically needed jobs; and nearly $2.7 million in MRA humanitarian assistance for vulnerable people. This assistance is in addition to the United States’ long-term investments in Ethiopia of more than $13 billion in total assistance, nearly $4 billion for health alone, over the past 20 years.
• Ghana: $1.6 million in health assistance to address the outbreak. This new assistance builds upon $3.8 billion in total U.S. Government investments to Ghana over the last 20 years, including nearly $914 million for health.
• Guinea: $500,000 in health assistance to address the outbreak. The United States has invested nearly $1 billion in total assistance for Guinea over the last 20 years, including $365.5 million for health.
• Kenya: Nearly $4.5 million for health and humanitarian assistance, including $3.5 million in health assistance to bolster risk communication, prepare health-communication networks and media for a possible case, and help provide public health messaging for media, health workers, and communities; and $947,000 in MRA humanitarian assistance for refugees and host communities. This COVID-19 specific assistance comes on top of long-term U.S. government investments in Kenya, which total $11.7 billion in total U.S. assistance to Kenya over the last 20 years, including $6.7 billion for health alone.
• Lesotho: $750,000 in health assistance to address the outbreak. This new assistance builds upon decades of U.S. investments in Lesotho, which total more than $1 billion over the last 20 years, including more than $834 million for health.
• Liberia: $1 million for health assistance will provide critical aid for all 12 Liberian counties (emergency operation centers, training, contact-tracing, hospitals, and community health services), support quarantine efforts, and provide community-level support. The United States has helped lay a strong foundation for Liberia’s COVID-19 response through more than $4 billion in total assistance over the past 20 years, including more than $675 million for health.
• Madagascar: $2.5 million in health assistance to address the outbreak. The United States has invested more than $1.5 billion in total assistance for Madagascar over the last 20 years, including nearly $722 million for health alone.
• Malawi: $4.5 million in health assistance to address the outbreak. The United States has provided more than $3.6 billion in total assistance for Malawi over the past 20 years, including more than $1.7 billion for health.
• Mali: More than $8.4 million in assistance for the response to COVID-19, which includes $4.4 million for health and IDA humanitarian assistance for risk-communication, the prevention and control of infections in health facilities, and coordination; and more than $4 million in MRA humanitarian assistance to support vulnerable in Mali during the pandemic. This new assistance builds upon decades of U.S. investments in Mali, which total more than $3.2 billion over the last 20 years, including more than $807 million for health.
• Mauritania: $250,000 in health assistance to address the outbreak. The United States has provided more than $424 million in total assistance over the last 20 years for Mauritania, including more than $27 million for health, which builds a strong foundation for their pandemic response.
• Mauritius: $500,000 in health assistance to address the outbreak. This new assistance builds upon the foundation of more than $13 million in total U.S. government investments over the past 20 years, including $838,000 for health.
• Mozambique: $5.8 million for health and IDA humanitarian funding will help provide risk-communication, water and sanitation, and prevent and control infections in key health facilities in Mozambique. The United States has invested nearly $6 billion in Mozambique over the past 20 years, including more than $3.8 billion for health.
• Namibia: $750,000 in health assistance to address the outbreak. This new assistance comes in addition to nearly $1.5 billion in total U.S. government investments to Namibia over the past 20 years, including more than $970.5 million in long-term health assistance.
• Niger: More than $4.6 million in assistance includes nearly $2.8 million for health and IDA humanitarian assistance for risk-communication, the prevention and control of infectious diseases in health facilities, and coordination; and $1.8 million in MRA humanitarian assistance will support vulnerable people in Niger during the pandemic. This assistance comes on top of more than $2 billion in total U.S. Government investments for Niger in the past 20 years, nearly $233 million for health alone.
• Nigeria: More than $30 million in assistance, which includes nearly $26 million for health and IDA humanitarian funding for risk communication, water and sanitation activities, infection prevention, and coordination; and nearly $4.1 million in MRA humanitarian assistance for vulnerable people. This assistance joins more than $8.1 billion in total assistance for Nigeria over the past 20 years, including more than $5.2 billion in U.S. health assistance.
• Rwanda: $2.2 million in assistance for Rwanda’s COVID-19 response includes $1.7 million for health assistance that will help with surveillance and case-management efforts in response to COVID-19, and $474,000 in MRA humanitarian assistance to support refugees and host communities in Rwanda. This comes on top of long-term U.S. Government investments in Rwanda that total more than $2.6 billion in total assistance over the past 20 years, including more than $1.5 billion for health.
• Sénégal: $3.9 million in health assistance to support risk communication, water and sanitation, infection prevention and control, public health messaging, and more. In Sénégal, the U.S. has invested nearly $2.8 billion in total over the past 20 years, nearly $880 million for health.
• Sierra Leone: $400,000 in health assistance to address the outbreak. This assistance joins decades of U.S. investments in Sierra Leone, totaling more than $5.2 billion in total assistance over the past 20 years, including nearly $260 million for health.
• Somalia: $16.5 million in assistance for the response to COVID-19 will support risk-communication, the prevention and control of infectious diseases in health facilities, and case-management, and more. This assistance comes in addition to $5.3 billion in total assistance for Somalia over the last 20 years, including nearly $30 million for health.
• South Africa: Approximately $8.4 million in health assistance to counter COVID-19 will support risk communication, water and sanitation, infection prevention and control, public health messaging, and more. This assistance joins more than $8 billion in total assistance by the United States for South Africa in the past 20 years, nearly $6 billion invested for health.
• South Sudan: More than $19 million in assistance for South Sudan’s response to COVID-19 includes $13.4 million in IDA humanitarian assistance for case-management, infection prevention and control, logistics, coordination efforts, risk communication, and water, sanitation and hygiene programs, and more than $5.6 million in MRA humanitarian assistance will support refugees, IDPs, and their host communities in South Sudan during the pandemic. This funding builds upon past U.S. investments in South Sudan totaling $6.4 billion over the past 20 years, including more than $405 million for health.
• Sudan: $23.1 million in assistance includes $16.8 million in IDA humanitarian assistance for risk communication, case-management, disease surveillance, infection prevention and control, and water, sanitation and hygiene programs; $5 million in ESF for cash assistance to vulnerable families adversely affected by COVID-19; and more than $1.3 million in MRA humanitarian assistance to support vulnerable people. The United States has invested more than $1.6 billion in total assistance for Sudan over the last 20 years, of which more than $3 million was for health.
• Tanzania: $1.4 million for health assistance supports risk communication, water and sanitation, infection prevention and control, public health messaging, and more. The United States has invested more than $7.5 billion total in Tanzania over the past 20 years, nearly $4.9 billion for health.
• Uganda: $3.6 million in assistance includes $2.3 million in health assistance to address the outbreak and nearly $1.3 million in MRA humanitarian assistance will support refugees and their host communities in Uganda during the pandemic. This assistance is provided in addition to the nearly $8 billion in total U.S. Government investments for Uganda over the last 20 years and $4.7 billion for health.
• Zambia: $3.4 million for health assistance supports risk communication, water and sanitation, infection prevention and control, public health messaging, and more. This new assistance joins $4.9 billion total U.S. Government investments for Zambia over the past 20 years, nearly $3.9 billion in U.S. health assistance.
• Zimbabwe: Nearly $3 million for health and IDA humanitarian assistance will help to prepare laboratories for large-scale testing, support case-finding activities for influenza-like illnesses, implement a public-health emergency plan for points of entry, and more. This new assistance builds on a history of U.S. investments in Zimbabwe – nearly $3 billion total over the past 20 years, nearly $1.2 billion of which was for health.
• Regional Efforts in the Sahel: $5 million in ESF will strengthen the efforts of partner governments and civil society to manage and respond to COVID-19 with transparent communication and response. These investments will cover Burkina Faso, Niger, The Gambia, Chad, and Mali.
• Regional Efforts in West Africa: $5 million in ESF will go towards conducting information campaigns with local authorities and communities and engaging community groups, community radio stations, and local media actors to develop targeted messaging in local languages. Assistance will also engage citizens in local-led advocacy, dialogue, and inclusive behavior change. These investments will cover Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin, and Guinea. 
• Regional Sub-Saharan Africa Humanitarian Assistance:  More than $6 million in MRA humanitarian assistance to help vulnerable people during the pandemic.

[For complete listing of world wide distributions, please see the text of the full release here.]

AFRICOM Commander engages Senegal's Chief of Defense

U.S. Africa Command
Press Release
For Immediate Release
May 1, 2020

U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command, spoke with Senegalese Chief of Defense, Air Force Lieutenant General Birame Diop, on Apr. 24 via telephone.  The military leaders discussed a range of topics from military exercises to COVID-19 response.

"COVID-19 impacts how we currently interface with our African partners, but the virus is not stopping our support," said Townsend.  "Senegal is everything we ask for in a partner, and we will continue to stay fully engaged with Senegal to promote security and stability.” 

Diop echoed Townsend’s sentiments. 

"Africa Command remains for us a valuable strategic partner.  In this pandemic context, our focus is to keep our troops safe, and support the government in implementing Senegal's National Response Plan," said Diop.

Townsend and Diop discussed Exercise United Accord, a multinational army exercise scheduled to be hosted by Senegal Sept. 10-25.

The command’s support to Senegal includes a UN-standard level-II field hospital, provided in October 2019 in partnership with the U.S. Department of State.  Senegal recently deployed that field hospital to help support its response to COVID-19. 

Townsend and Diop agreed on the importance of security services' positive role in helping citizens through the COVID-19 crisis.  Just as U.S. military medical officers are assisting in the U.S. response, the Senegalese Armed Forces medical professionals are serving as advisors in regional offices and providing medical support to civilians in Senegal.

Senegal is also ramping up its COVID-19 testing.  Once adequately resourced, the Military Hospital of Ouakam will support the Government of Senegal in its fight against the virus by conducting mass testing.

The generals also discussed non-commissioned officer (NCO) corps development.  Diop thanked Townsend for AFRICOM's support in promoting Senegal's NCO corps, and said that Senegal values U.S. Africa Command’s NCO professional development programs.

Diop relayed that he looks forward to continuing to advance and expand the US-Senegal bilateral partnership in NCO corps development, and emphasized his goal to promote and inspire NCO development throughout West Africa.

Townsend will continue to conduct phone calls with African partners.  Such engagements reaffirm U.S. commitment to Africa in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

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The U.S. Department of State French Language Spokesperson Marissa Scott is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.  Please direct interview requests or questions to AFMediaHub@state.gov.

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