Amidst the ongoing efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation have committed to donating different medical support to all African countries.

The support includes test kits, masks, medical use protective suits and face shields.

Rwanda is among the 54 countries of Africa that are set to receive, 20,000 test kits, 100,000 masks, and 1000 medical use protective suits and face shields.

According to the Ministry of Health, increased medical support will enable Rwanda to assess the full extent of the coronavirus’ spread.

In a statement posted on Twitter on Monday, China’s e-commerce billionaire and Alibaba Group founder stressed the importance of staying one step ahead, as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue to cause ripples across the globe.

"We cannot ignore the potential risk to Africa and assume this continent of 1.3 billion people will blissfully escape the crisis,” he said, adding, "we can take precautions now and get prepared ahead of time, as Africa can benefit from the experience and lessons from other countries that were earlier hit hard by the virus.”

The medical supplies donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation will be delivered to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, where Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali has agreed to take the lead in overseeing their distribution to other African countries.

The foundation also announced plans to provide online training materials to help medical institutions in Africa cope with coronavirus cases.

The coronavirus has become pandemic with more cases being confirmed in almost every corner of the world.

The Government has urged residents to continue to observe instructions from health authorities, particularly washing hands regularly, avoiding large gatherings, and reporting any symptoms.

Rwanda is one of the 20 African countries to have reported cases of the virus by Tuesday, March 17.

Other African nations include Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania.