ANKARA

The Nigerian head of state on Wednesday hailed the UN secretary general for launching a COVID-19 fund for low and middle-income countries to help tackle the health emergency.

President Muhammadu Buhari was speaking at a virtual China- Africa Extraordinary Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19 Pandemic.

The virtual summit was presided by Chinese President Xi Jinping, co-hosted by the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the African Union.

Buhari also said the fight against a global pandemic requires enhanced cooperation and worldwide solidarity.

''I, therefore, commend the UN Secretary General, H.E. Antonio Guterres, for launching a COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund for low and middle-income countries to tackle the health emergency, address social and economic consequences of the crisis and, strengthen the recovery efforts of most vulnerable countries.

The UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund is a UN inter-agency fund mechanism to support low- and middle-income program countries to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and its impacts.

''I also commend the World Health Organization and its leadership from whose advise Nigeria was able to take measures and enlighten its people on steps to take to avoid contracting and spreading the virus,'' he added.

Buhari reiterated the need for leaders to put humanity at the center of ''our vision for common prosperity.''

Africa has so far recorded 252,544 coronavirus cases, 6,779 deaths, and 114,897 recoveries, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.