Africa: Transcript – United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on United States support for Africa’s fight against Covid-19

04/28/2020 World



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Washington DC – Opening remarks by the US Secretary of State. USA Mike Pompeo by phone to an international group of seven journalists focused on Africa, transcribed from the call:

Good morning everyone and hello. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy. A few thoughts to start. Just two months ago, Susan, my wife, and I visited Senegal, Angola, and Ethiopia. We had a fantastic trip. I went there to strengthen America’s longstanding partnerships with our African friends; I wanted to do it in person.

Today I thought about making a couple of comments on what those partnerships really entail and then answering a series of questions.

First: historical public health work. We have invested around $ 60 billion in public health on the continent in the past two decades. This is unrivaled. He saved many lives, more than 17 million thanks to Pepfar alone. We also trained 265,000 health workers as part of that. I think that’s point number one. We are working with you, African countries, to save lives every day.

READ: Pompeo – No Drop in US Financing USA In Africa, says WHO in review, criticizes China for debt

Second, we have a massive effort to help more African partners fight Covid-19. The vice president calls this an all-American project. You got it right. No other nation is doing more than us. We have committed more than $ 170 million to this fight in Africa, part of the more than $ 775 million that the United States has pledged worldwide.

It is not just help. I know that is the approach many times. It is important. We are proud of the fact that no country will rival what the United States does in terms of direct assistance. But think about it: In Ghana, Senegal, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Mauritania, we reuse field hospitals, tents and ambulances from international peacekeeping missions for Covid-19 efforts. In Ethiopia, the state department, led by USAID, has trained more than 500 Covid-19 rapid response workers. In Nigeria, for example, even in [Nigerian] States devastated by Boko Haram and Isis West Africa, the State Department and USAID have trained hundreds of volunteers to help curb the spread of the virus.

You should also remember that we are still a big part of the multilateral efforts, too. We have CDC teams that work with many African ministries of health. [indecipherable]. And we also have epidemiologists published in the African Union. And finally, regarding this point, all of America also means non-governmental organizations, charities and companies. The renowned American generosity continues. A good example is Catholic Relief Services, which continues to strengthen in South Sudan and provides emergency assistance to the most vulnerable. And it is ExxonMobil who has now donated almost 7000 masks, 25 thousand pairs of gloves, in Mozambique.

I don’t want to clarify this. I could go on. But when the outbreak subsides, and I know it will, we will continue to help our friends achieve greater prosperity by freeing African entrepreneurs, an issue I spoke about when I was in Addis Ababa just a couple of months ago.

And finally, it would be negligent if I did not thank all the African governments, airlines and others who have helped repatriate more than 10,000 Americans. We are extremely grateful to our partners in Africa that we have them all at home. So thanks to them for that.

Questions and answers

State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus: Thank you, sir. Now we will start with AllAfrica Global Media, Reed kramer :
Good morning Mr. Secretary. Does the US government USA Do you support debt relief or cancellation for African countries, something advocated by African leaders and economic experts?

Secretary Pompeo: We are constantly evaluating the how and when. The G20 took a good first step, a critical debt relief. We are proud to have been a part of urging all G20 countries to do that. We played a leadership role there as well as in the G7 on the Covid-19 response. I welcome this significant financial support that has been extended to low-income African countries and the suspension of debt, both bilaterally and the debt of G20 and Paris Club members.

It would also remind everyone that there is an enormous amount of debt that the Chinese Communist Party has imposed on African countries throughout the region. It is something that African countries should also consider when asking China to [unintellgible ] Debt relief in some deals that have incredibly onerous terms that will impact Africans for a terribly long time, if relief is not granted.

State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus: Thank you, Reed. Now we will go over BBC Africa, Andrew Harding:
Good morning sir. We are aware of the enormous efforts that the United States has made over the years: Pepfar, in particular, had had such an impact in Africa. Right now, when I look around the continent and talk to people here, they are talking about Cuban doctors. They are talking about WHO. They are talking about Chinese aid. And when it comes to the United States, they are talking about withdrawing their administration’s financial support for WHO. And they’re talking frankly about President Trump’s comments on disinfectants, about chloroquine, and other unproven suggestions on how to deal with Covid-19. And I was wondering if you were concerned about that reputational damage and the fact that America’s efforts here don’t seem to be appreciated or appreciated.

Secretary Pompeo: I am always concerned when people have a misunderstanding of the facts. I always want to make sure that disinformation is not spread by anyone, be it by other governments or by private media outlets that may be influenced by some of those governments or are simply biased. I checked the facts. It is incomparable: if you look at the facts of what the United States is doing to help Africa, not only in this Covid-19 era but also in what we have done over the years. Your point of view on Pepfar, your point of view on all the assistance we have given you is quite true. It is quite accurate. And so if there is a misperception there, it is important that it be corrected. People in African countries should understand the facts. I hope they do. I hope we communicate. That is our responsibility, but it is an equal responsibility of people like you, Andrew, to make sure and tell the real story about what is happening.

You cannot compare what the United States is doing. That we have contributed more than $ 500 million to the World Health Organization. That is 10 times more than what China has contributed. President Trump has been very clear. We want to make sure that the money gets to the right places.

We are not reducing the amount of money we are providing for global health care. In fact, far from it. I am sure we will really increase that number. But we must ensure that it is part of a functioning multinational institution that can actually deliver good results for people in some of the world’s poorest countries in Africa.

Our review of the WHO flaw, and I can vouch for the flaw. You can too. You can see the Covid-19 pandemic that started in Wuhan, China, and has now spread to Africa. It is important that there is accurate information, that a disinformation campaign launched by other countries does not dominate the news. We want to continue with the facts. We want people in that region to understand that the United States is there. We will still be there after this virus ends, and our commitment to things like Pepfar, to things like pandemic relief, polio, everything the United States has provided to help the region in this region will continue and will continue to continue. I hope that answers your question, Andrew, at least in part.

Harding: It did, in part, thanks. At WHO, are there no plans to start paying back money on a continent that depends so much on WHO, for example, for relief from polio and other problems?

Secretary Pompeo: We will make sure the money arrives. Absolutely. His question was, is there any commitment to provide money? I just went through it, Andrew. I just told you exactly what we are going to do. The vehicle for that has to work. The methodology by which it is distributed has to work. And that’s the review we’re doing.

When a multilateral institution fails in its primary mission, which is to ensure that one has accurate and timely information and to make good decisions to stop the spread of things like Africa is suffering so much as of today, there is a responsibility for the nations that use its resources. People in African countries have a responsibility to make sure we do it right. And that’s what we’re going to do.

There is no diminished support for the mission to which we have been engaged for 20 years across Africa. When I hear journalists talk about the withdrawal of funds from the United States, it’s just that nothing could be further from reality. Look at the data set of resources that we provide, I think any bona fide analysis that will tell you that the United States will provide more resources for assistance on a broad basis. It is not just about dollars, technical support and epidemiological support, all the elements that I described in my opening statement, I am sure that if you write it accurately, you will agree that the United States is doing the right thing for the health world of a way that no other nation in the world has, or will have.

State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus: Now we are going to turn to the Daily Nation. We have Aggrey Mutambo :
Thank you. My question is about the exact programs that reach the African region. We have seen an increase in cases in the last 10 days or so and we wonder what the US government is doing. USA About.

Secretary Pompeo: I went through the various means of support that we are providing regarding [undeciperable]. I talked about three things.

One is CDC support, the technical support we’ve provided for years across the region continues to increase capacity so that we can help with the technical elements of how countries have to think about their highly tailored responses to the virus.

Secondly, there is a piece that is happening here in the United States, which is our massive effort to ensure that equipment is needed for those countries. And we believe that, over time, we will be able to provide tremendous assistance to countries throughout the region, as the virus becomes less aggressive here in the United States. I am very sure that we will do that.

And finally, the United States is engaged in a total effort, a total effort to provide both therapeutic responsiveness and, ultimately, a vaccine. When we have that, it will certainly be something that will benefit not only people in the United States or our area, but also the entire world. And we are very focused and dedicate a large amount of resources to that element of what will ultimately be needed to combat this virus.

State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus: Thank you very much. And now from the Daily Maverick we have Peter Fabricius :
Thank you, Secretary, for your briefing. I want to ask you specifically about the US bans. USA On exports of certain vital equipment, such as fans and respirators. And also, particularly in South Africa, it is reported that it has encountered some problems when importing special use test kits, which are adapted for use by its mobile test laboratories. And I just wanted to know if that’s a problem you know of, and could you address it?

Secretary Pompeo: So I will leave responses on particular transactions to the working group that is working on the logistics and supply chain issues around that. I don’t know the answer to that.

Fabricius: Overall, Mr. Secretary, is there a ban on exporting fans and respirators from the United States?

Secretary Pompeo: Oh my God, no. You have seen the President in the last course of the past, OMG, I don’t know how many days, a few days, a week, you talk about the fact that we are now starting to export significant amounts of fans. As our companies grow, that number will grow more and more. No, in fact, not only is there not a ban, but we are doing the right thing for everyone. We are going to create a supply chain for the world so that this equipment is available to all citizens around the world. I am very sure that this will be achieved.

State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus: Let’s move on to Elias Meseret (Ethiopia):
Thank you Mr. Secretary. I just want to expand on the last question. The President promised support for many countries like here in Ethiopia in the form of sending fans after his conversation with Prime Minister Abiy Ali. At the same time, we are listening to governors who request these fans from the federal government. So do you think the United States would actually send fans or is it just a promise that [indecipherable] after it meets the demand of the fans?

Secretary Pompeo: I think I just answered that question. The President promised. I am very confident that we will honor that commitment. But there is a global shortage, a lot of attention has been paid to fans, but there has been a global deficit in a wide range of items that have been needed to fight this virus. The United States is engaged in an economic effort that is unrivaled anywhere in the world to meet that demand, and as our supply chain begins to function, we will surely do the right thing for the citizens of our country. But we will also do the right thing for citizens around the world. And the President in recent days has made a series of commitments with countries around the world. Specifically, I know that it has also been done at other levels and will absolutely deliver on those commitments.

State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus: Great, thanks. Now I will pass it – from LUSA news agency Raquel Rio:
Hi. I would like to ask about the impact of the repatriation of US citizens in Angola or other places with investments in the oil industry. So I know that Chevron here in Angola sent a lot of people home. I would like to know if this somehow compromises US investments in the oil industry in Africa, mainly in Angola or in other countries like Mozambique, in terms of project postponements and delays. So how does this epidemic impact the oil industry here in Africa?

Secretary Pompeo: Obviously, those companies will have to make their own business decisions about those projects and the timing of those projects. These repatriations in general, I can’t speak to the details in Angola or elsewhere, but they were repatriations designed to make sure we have American people who want to go home during this global pandemic, so they can go home. And I know that in most cases these companies were doing it on a temporary basis, and they have an expectation that people will come back. You will have to speak to those US companies. USA On particular instances and on the timing of their projects.