The International Monetary Fund(IMF) has granted three Ebola-stricken countries; Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone a debt relief of about 100 million dollars.
The $100 million grant will allow each country to service their IMF debts over the next two years, the Fund said.
This the first time a global institution has provided such relief to the three West African nations that have been hit by the deadly disease.
[contextly_sidebar id=”xpLuPnfcO71vww4reaxZVkDaNRdJAlH1″]New figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) inidcated that the number of new cases of Ebola rose in all three countries last week, ending several weeks of encouraging declines across the region.
The United States first proposed that the IMF offer some debt relief to the three impoverished West African countries to enable them to spend more on government services and their economies.
There have been several calls for government to cancel the debt of Ebola-hit countries.
In 2014, the Global Alliance of Mayors from Africa and of African descent called on the IMF and World Bank to cancel the debts of all the three Ebola-hit nations.
The President of the group, Dr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije said the measure will help reduce pressure on the countries.
President Mahama, who is ECOWAS Chairman, earlier also announced that African leaders will join in the appeal for debts of Ebola affected countries to be written off.
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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana