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Business Reporter

PROMINENT Zimbabwean businessman and Econet founder, Mr Strive Masiyiwa, has announced the arrival of 45 full Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ventilators in the country, which he ordered a couple of months back. 

The billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, who is the African Union’s special envoy to coordinate the Africa private sector initiative for the procurement of personal protective equipment and other essential supplies, also announced that he has teamed up with fellow global entrepreneurs Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Skoll to donate 1 000 more ventilators to eight African countries.

Mr Masiyiwa broke the news on his popular Facebook blog. He wrote: “A few weeks ago, when the pandemic began, I undertook to donate 45 full ICU ventilators to Zimbabwe. I’m pleased to advise that they have now arrived in the country, after being manufactured in the UK. They are being delivered to the country’s leading hospitals.

“I’m also pleased to advise that owing to an initiative I have been working on with two well known global entrepreneurs, Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Skoll, 1000 ventilators are being manufactured in SA, under free license.”

Mr Masiyiwa said these will be distributed for free to the following countries: South Sudan 100, Sudan 100, Rwanda 100, Burundi 200, Eastern Congo 100, Zimbabwe 200, Botswana 100 and Lesotho 100.

“I would like to again express my deepest appreciation to Jeff and Sir Richard,” said Mr Masiyiwa.

“The free open license for the ventilators and oxygen concentrators is now available for all African countries. We can produce 10 000 such ventilators if required, and they will be sold at 10 percent of the value of a normal ventilator, thanks to the generosity of the philanthropists that provided the technology. Shipment will begin in July,” he said.