PIDG & InfraCo Africa: Supporting COVID preparedness in Ethiopia
17th of June 2020
InfraCo Africa, with funding from the Private Infrastructure Development Group Technical Assistance
(PIDG TA), is upgrading medical facilities near the company’s Corbetti Geothermal project site in
rural Ethiopia to enhance preparedness for managing COVID-19 and for meeting the area’s longterm healthcare challenges.
Working with the team at Corbetti Geothermal in Addis Ababa and Awassa, the funding will support
the training of local people to provide public health and awareness training in communities near the
project site. The funding will also enable the installation of solar PV systems with battery back-up to
provide light and power to clinics in Corbetti village and Shala district. Once power is installed, the
initiative will supply medical refrigeration equipment to keep vaccines and other medicines cool.
These clinics will also receive medical equipment and supplies of consumables such as personal
protective equipment and hand sanitiser.
The Corbetti Geothermal project continues to explore options to address the quality and availability
of water in the area in the mid to longer term, and indeed to support local communities in developing
healthcare, education and transportation solutions.
Cases of COVID-19 in Ethiopia have, to date, been limited and are largely confined to urban areas;
providing an opportunity to upgrade medical facilities to meet the challenge of disease by enhancing
healthcare provision and education to build resilience.
InfraCo Africa’s CEO, Gilles Vaes said ““Working with PIDG TA, we are pleased to be able to support
the efforts of our local colleagues and communities to prepare for the challenge of COVID-19 and
to deliver initiatives in and around the Corbetti project area which will support the health of these
communities in the longer term.”
The US$50,000 PIDG TA grant will be joined by US$10,000 of support in kind from the Corbetti
Geothermal team and work on installing the solar PV systems is expected to commence in the
coming months, subject to national guidelines.
