NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

By Frank Eleanya

A fund to tackle the current challenges around testing for coronavirus also known as COVID-19 set up by 54gene, African genomics research services have reached $500,000 less than 24 hours of its launch on Thursday.

54gene opened the fund with a donation of $150,000 and within 24 hours an additional $350,000 was secured from partners including Union Bank.

The genomics research service plans to utilise the fund by increasing the COVID-19 testing capacity in Nigeria by up to 1,000 additional tests a day. To achieve this, the company will buy testing instruments and the required biosafety materials such as biosafety cabinets and personal protective equipment needed to keep frontline healthcare workers safe.

“With the Nigeria COVID-19 Testing Fund, we are working in sync with the NCDC to make Nigeria’s public health an absolute priority during this global pandemic, which has left thousands dead or fighting for their lives,” Abasi Ene-Obong, CEO 54gene said in a statement. “We are extremely ambitious in our mission to expand the testing capacity for Nigeria and expect to increase the present rate by at least 10X in the coming weeks. In order to contain the spread of COVID-19, it is essential for us to know who has the disease, so we can put in place effective measures around quarantining confirmed cases.”

Image credit: 54gene