Billionaire Jack Ma donates conoravirus test kits to Nigeria

Nigeria on Wednesday received test kits and protective gear from China’s richest man, Jack Ma, to help fight coronavirus, which has so far claimed one life and infected 45 others in Africa’s most populous nation.

Nigeria’s top health official, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, told AFP that the country had received 100 000 face masks, 1 000 protective gowns and 20 000 test kits.

The equipment will be distributed to frontline health workers and hospital laboratories, he said.

Ma, the founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, has vowed to donate equal amounts of gear to all 54 countries in Africa.

He has also offered the United States half a million test kits and a million masks.

Health experts are worried about Nigeria’s vulnerability to coronavirus because of its huge population and poor healthcare infrastructure.