Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan pledged $20m to the fund, and the Gates Foundation up to $20m, to accelerate efforts to eliminate (onchocerciasis) river blindness and lymphatic filariasis from countries in the Middle East and Africa.
The remainder will be raised from a blend of donors, said Maha Barakat, member of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and director general of the Health Authority Abu Dhabi.
The 10-year facility will be managed by the End Fund, a private philanthropic platform targeting neglected tropical diseases, and bolstered by in-kind contributions from drug companies GlaxoSmithKline and MSD, or Merck.
Source: Philanthropy Age
Financing for Development in Africa 