Johannesburg, Jan 21 :The World Bank has approved a loan of 750 million US dollars to South Africa to fight Covid-19, said the national treasury Today.

The national treasury said the development policy loan (DPL) would help tackle Covid-19, protect the poor and vulnerable from the adverse socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic and support a resilient and sustainable economic recovery.

“The World Bank budget support is coming at a critical time for us and will contribute toward addressing the financing gap stemming from additional spending in response to the Covid-19 crisis. It will assist in addressing the immediate challenge of financing critical health and social safety net programs while also continuing to develop our economic reform agenda to build back better,” said Dondo Mogajane, the director-general of the National Treasury.

The World Bank Country Director for South Africa Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly said the loan is part of the bank’s program to help stimulate investment and job creation.(UNI)