DRC: World Bank Approves $1 Bn In Funding To Promote Education, Health Care

The World Bank on Tuesday announced it had approved $1 billion in funding to promote free primary education and improving response to health emergencies in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), reported Reuters. The DRC’s education and health systems have been weakened by years of mismanagement, under-funding, and conflict.

The aid money includes $800 million that will be used to support free primary school education and $200 million that will be utilized to improve maternal and child health care system in the country.

“This funding is all the more important because it will help alleviate the economic and social consequences of the coronavirus affecting the poorest,” said Jean-Christophe Carret, World Bank country director.

The funding includes $435 million in grants and $565 million in credit.

The DRC has reported 4,974 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 112 deaths and the outbreak has added to the strain on the country’s fragile health and education systems. On Monday, the health authorities reported the deadly Ebola virus has killed 11 people after infecting 17 in a new outbreak in the western province of Equateur in the country.

Schools and universities in the DRC have been closed since March 24 under emergency measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

After taking office in January 2019, President Felix Tshisekedi had vowed to make universal free education one of his priorities. His promise to provide free primary education has been estimated to cost $2.6 billion, between 40 and 50 percent of the state budget. In February, the DRC President also put forward a plan for “universal health coverage.”

Both the government schemes have been overshadowed by the coronavirus crisis, which is likely to cause growth to fall from 4.4 percent in 2019 to minus 2.2 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).