EU donates €50m to Nigeria to fight coronavirus

The European Union has donated €50m ($55m; £44m) to Nigeria to boost the fight against coronavirus.

According to a statement from the Nigerian presidency, the funding will greatly help Nigeria in containing the virus and revitalising its healthcare system.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told an EU delegation he was touched and grateful that the EU had the foresight to help its allies around the world despite the fact that its member countries were also struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.

He said such support from the EU will save millions of lives in many countries.

EU Ambassador to Nigeria Ketil Karlsen told Mr Buhari the donation to Nigeria was the largest support the EU was providing anywhere outside Europe to fight the pandemic so far.

Nigeria has nearly 350 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with 10 fatalities.

Experts have warned that a widespread outbreak of the virus in African countries with weak healthcare systems and extreme poverty could have devastating consequences.

The EU support to Nigeria comes as the International Monetary Fund approved debt service relief for 19 African countries.

The relief is for an initial period of six months to enable them to channel financial resources towards dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.