The grant approved on June 26, is part of $10 billion the bank approved in April 2020, to help regional member countries across the continent cope with the Coronavirus pandemic.

The beneficiaries are Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The support will be used to supply medical equipment needed to fight Coronavirus including testing and training for health workers.

The grant will be used to strengthen the health sector, enhance infection prevention and control, and improve regional coordination by the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority Development (IGAD) to prevent cross-border transmissions.

Country Manager for African Development Bank in Rwanda, Martha Phiri, said: "The main purpose of this grant is to reduce the incidence of Coronavirus and other deaths in East Africa and other pandemics."

The EAC Secretariat will receive $ 8.79 million in tranches, where it will initially receive $ 8.16 million and $ 629,582 while $ 729,581 will go to IGAD.

Kenya is the most infected country in the EAC, where 7,886 people have been infected with Coronavirus, and 160 deaths; 1,105 have been infected in Rwanda and 3 deaths; Uganda has 939, Burundi has 191, Tanzania has 509, and South Sudan has 2021, and 38 deaths.

Board of Directors of the African Development Bank have approved a $ 9.52 million grant to help countries, including Rwanda, fight COVID-19 pandemic.