The European Union is serious about helping West Africa — not only to fight Ebola but also bolster regional economies to overcome the long-term consequences of the epidemic that threatens to cripple the economies of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone for years to come.
During an official visit to Guinea in early December attended by Devex, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica announced a new 61 million-euro ($74.8 million) financial assistance package to link health, sanitation and environmental development programs.
Half of that money will go to Guinea, where the commissioner also launched the overall EU funding package — the so-called National Indicative Program — for the country in 2014-2020 worth a total of 244 million euros. This will see about 70 million euros pumped into the national health system over the next seven years — double the country’s health budget before the Ebola outbreak.