To help fight the spread of Coronavirus in Africa, we’ve donated two state-of-the-art COVID-19 testing machines to Namibia and Botswana,
Worth more than $100,000, the testing machines have been gifted to the governments in both countries as part of our in-kind support for their response to COVID-19.
One machine has been installed at Botswana’s National Health Laboratory in Gaborone and the other at Namibia’s Institute of Pathology Limited in Windhoek. Alongside the provision of test kits, PPE, fridges, freezers, an Uninterrupted Power Supply Unit and a lab PC, they will play a vital role in supporting both countries testing programmes.
Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group said, “We are proud to stand side by side with our partners in the fight against the global COVID-19 pandemic. While financial support is crucial, we also recognise that sourcing key equipment at times of heightened global demand is hugely important, and we are delighted to have been able to secure this machine on behalf of the people of Botswana and Namibia. We will continue to work with governments to understand how else we can support the critical work focused on keeping Botswana and Namibia’s citizens safe and well.”
Receiving the machine on behalf of the Government of Botswana last week, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Lemogang Kwape expressed gratitude for the donation and stressed that it will be centrally important for reducing test result turnaround times. Dr Kwape said, “This machine will indeed assist in getting more people tested and we are grateful to De Beers Group for the support.”