Recent reports have highlighted the key role that African timber companies are playing to support the development and maintenance of essential healthcare infrastructure during the pandemic.

African Timber companies have played a significant in healthcare in the Congo. Credit: UN
Tullia Baldassarri of Interholco, which is headquartered in Switzerland and whose subsidiary IFO manages 1.159 million ha of certified forest in Ngombé in the Republic of Congo (RoC), presented details of the company’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic during a recent STTC webinar.
Interholco has invested in medical facilities and equipment against increased incidence of the disease in RoC. With strategies aimed at both prevention and treatment, the focus has also been on health education and sharing knowledge and best practice. There are more than 1 200 workers at the IFO site in the northern part of RoC, which is 800km from the capital Brazzaville.
The Ngombé concession area also supports a much larger population of 16 000. Healthcare infrastructure in this region is limited, so Interholco has developed a joint plan with the state for prevention and mitigation of the Covid-19 pandemic.