Addis Ababa — Amidst the ongoing global efforts to respond to the Ebola crisis, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Carlos Lopes has joined the Chairperson of the African Union Commission HE Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma on a visit to the West African sub-region to assess the situation firsthand. They will be accompanied by the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Donald Kaberuka.
The delegation will visit Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and meet with all the Heads of State and Government of the affected countries for a first hand appreciation of the efforts on the ground and express their solidarity.
The meetings will look into the critical issues aimed at accelerating the fight against Ebola, as well as measures needed to alleviate the socio-economic consequences of the disease outbreak. It is expected that the AUC Chairperson, Dr. Dlamini Zuma will continue to press for more support from AU Member States, following her appeal to African Heads of State and Government for more medical volunteers to assist with the crisis and stem the epidemic that is fast becoming a major threat to Africa's peace and security and socio-economic development.
This serves as the second visit by Mr. Lopes to the region.
