Today, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Alwaleed Philanthropies, chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, will launch an initiative to respond to the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic in Côte d’Ivoire.

The initiative will be launched with the participation of Mr. Adama Diouara, Minister of Higher Education, President of the National Commission for Education, Science and Culture of Côte d’Ivoire, along with a team from the Foundation of the former football star, Didier Drogba. The initiative will provide food supplies and medical products to the neediest communities in the affected areas, and help mitigate the impact of the economic repercussions of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aims to boost the local manufacturing capacities to produce hygiene products and protective equipment in Africa, raise awareness of the importance of hygiene, and support and empower young men and women entrepreneurs in the informal and local sectors.

Stressing the importance of this initiative, HRH Princess Lamia Bint Majed Saud Al Saud, Secretary-General of Alwaleed Philanthropies, stated “we all have a role to fulfill in countering the pandemic. By protecting our health, we are protecting our community health”.

“We are proud to be part of such initiative in Côte d’Ivoire, which is likely to provide the neediest people with valuable resources to raise health awareness and protect the health of the present and future generations,” she added.

On his part, the football star Didier Drogba said, “we need to support each other in hard times. Providing such vital resources would enable family members to meet their needs and ensure their health. I am proud to support the efforts of Alwaleed Philanthropies and ICESCO in helping communities in Côte d’Ivoire”.

In the same vein, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, stressed the importance of supporting ICESCO Member States to counter the repercussions of the pandemic, highlighting that the private sector in these countries will benefit from this support and other programmes and projects. In the case of the collapse of this sector, which is made of almost 95% of small businesses, its rebuilding would take decades.

“Working together, we can support the small businesses, which will similarly help communities to achieve a more efficient and prosperous recovery,” he added.

It is worth mentioning that ICESCO and Alwaleed Philanthropies had already announced action plans to support ten (10) countries (Sudan, Morocco, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Nigeria, Mauritania, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, and Senegal) in promoting the capacities to produce sanitizers, masks, and ventilators, and support and empower women and young businessmen in the local and informal sectors.