(Ecofin Agency) - Algeria will spend $100 million to buy pharmaceutical products to have enough stock to face the novel coronavirus pandemic. The announcement was recently made by the President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune (pictured).

This amount will be used to “accelerate the importation of all pharmaceutical products in sufficient quantities, and even more protective equipment and chemical analysis (testing) kits, with the involvement of [Algerian] diplomatic missions in the search for their exporters across the world,” APS reports. The government is expecting another $132 million from the IMF and the World Bank.

With more than 139 recorded cases, Algeria is one of the most affected countries on the continent. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the government has adopted a series of measures to slow the spread of the virus and mitigate its effects. Budget spending will be reduced by 30% (without affecting charges and salaries) while the country's import bill will drop from $41 billion to $31 billion.

Since March 22, 2020, Algeria has officially entered stage 3 of the pandemic, which means that from now on, the virus is actively circulating in the country.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou