World Bank approves US$6.6M for Dominica COVID-19 fight

Dominica is set to benefit from US$6.6 million in immediate funding from the World Bank to assist in that country’s emergency response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic,
The World Bank in a release yesterday said that the funding which was activated on April 15 will focus on enhancing health system capacity and strengthening food security.
According to the World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean, Tahseen Sayed, “The World Bank has mobilized rapid support for Dominica’s emergency response activities to limit the impacts of COVID-19, protect the people of Dominica, and lay the groundwork for recovery.”
From the total amount activated, US$5.1 million will be used to bolster the capacity of Dominica’s public health system to manage COVID-19. Funds will be available to purchase drugs, medical supplies and equipment, and laboratory supplies to boost testing capacity and for minor retrofitting of isolation units.
Another US$1.5 million will be used to support agriculture and strengthen national food security during the pandemic. The intervention is targeted to reach an estimated 3,200 farmers to ensure that the local food supply chains are better able to meet the needs of the island.
The World Bank explained that the funds were mobilised under two projects using the Contingency Emergency Response Components (CERCs). CERCs allow funds to be reallocated from existing projects and used for emergency response activities and allows countries to access resources rapidly to meet current priorities. In addition, US$3 million was reallocated from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Regional Health Project and US$3.6 million from the Emergency Agricultural Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Project.