Airport staff unload supplies donated by Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone, Botswana, March 26, 2020. The Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation donated a consignment of laboratory diagnostic test kits to Botswana to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)

The Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation donated a consignment of laboratory diagnostic test kits to Botswana to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The consignment which arrived at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone, Botswana's capital city on a special Ethiopian Airline flight in the early hours of Friday morning.

Botswana is yet to register a confirmed case of the extremely infectious coronavirus that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic a couple of weeks ago.

Donated consignment includes 20,000 testing kits, 100,000 face masks and 1,000 protective suits, said the assistant minister in the ministry of presidential affairs, governance and public administration, Dumezweni Mthimkhulu in an interview with Xinhua.

Mthimkhulu spoke of this and the Botswana government's "great appreciation" for Ma's generosity.

"Botswana and Africa greatly appreciate the donations coming through aimed at fighting the pandemic. For Botswana, Ma's donation will go a long way in ensuring that we are COVID-19 free," said Mthimkhulu.

Early this week, Ma announced that all African countries will receive a similar consignment to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Malaki Tshipayagae, the director in charge of coronavirus within Botswana's ministry of health and wellness, said many countries in Africa have struggling health systems and "Mr. Ma's donation will help us a lot."