SZ donates masks to African countries

Mena Biru (6th R), an Ethiopian employee working for Transsion, Song Yingnan (7th R), director of the president’s office of Transsion, Gu Ting (8th L), full-time vice president of Shenzhen People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Chen Songheng (7th L), general manager of the African region of BGI, pose for a picture with staff members of the city’s foreign affairs office at yesterday’s donation ceremony. Zhang Yu

Shenzhen is donating 460,000 surgical masks to 12 African countries, including Egypt, Togo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, Mali, Tunisia, Sudan, South Sudan, Botswana, Comoros and Cameroon, to help their pressing need in the fight against COVID-19. The masks will be airlifted in batches.

A donation ceremony, organized by the city’s foreign affairs office, was held in NEO Building in Futian District yesterday.

“I believe this donation is going to help and support many people out there in Africa. It is a good job what Shenzhen has done to Africa. I would like to say thank you for all of this,” said Mena Biru, an Ethiopian employee of Transsion, a Shenzhen-based mobile phone manufacturer, at the ceremony.

The city government and the private sector have continued to step up cooperation with Africa since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in efforts to help alleviate a shortage of medical supplies on the continent.

On April 23, the city government and medical specialists shared their experience in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic with Kenya’s health ministry via a video conference.

Shenzhen has also shared a bilingual version of “Diagnosis and Treatment for COVID-19,” “Essential Handbook for Quarantine at Home” and “Guidelines for Epidemic Prevention and Control at Home” to help sister cities in Africa fight against the pandemic.

More and more Shenzhen enterprises have pitched in to assist Africa in the virus fight. Huawei, BGI, Transsion and DJI have joined hands with local governments in Africa in virus testing, drone-based disinfection, video communication and publicity of information to strengthen epidemic prevention and control.