Only 4 Indian visas in Oct, Guinea says isolate Ebola, not us

“We are under the spotlight, and it’s embarrassing and concerning,” says Ambassador Alexandre Cece Loua, who heads the only embassy in India from the three West African countries, including Liberia and Sierra Leone, that together form Ground Zero of Ebola’s newest and most lethal outbreak.

WHO’s latest figures for this zone alone show 2,413 deaths from 6,535 cases in Liberia; 1,510 dead out of 5,338 cases in Sierra Leone; and 1,018 deaths from 1,667 cases in Guinea. The virus has also been spotted outside Africa — in the US, Spain, Germany and France.

“But there are still people living in Guinea, the country is not about to disappear,” says Loua. “It’s a land of 11 million people. You have to isolate the virus, not the country.”

Guinea established its embassy in India just two years ago, and what’s really worrying its first Ambassador is the “temporary disruption” in bilateral trade that usually adds up to “about US$400 million” every year.

“Most of the applications we get are from Indians who have business interests there, especially in the fields of healthcare, construction equipment, food stocks – mostly rice, and clothing. Indian companies are also involved in agriculture, tourism and mining,” Loua says.

“I get calls from Indian businessmen all the time, asking for updates about the situation there. They are waiting and watching. I can’t blame them, life comes before business.”

It’s this same fear, on a much larger scale, that his own government is fighting back home, he adds. “Guinea is facing such a situation for the first time. You can imagine the fear, there is no medicine for fear. People did not know that they could be cured. They said God was punishing them, and that there was no medicine for the disease.”

This has since become a national concern, says Loua. “The government has launched an awareness campaign involving leaders, officials, religious figures and others.”

India has also joined the fight, says Loua, with a significant financial push. “We are grateful to India for being one of the top five contributors to the fund being collected by UN to be used in the fight against Ebola. The exact figures of its contribution is US$12.65 million for the three west African countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) directly and through the UN Ebola fund and WHO.”

There’s also an official delegation coming this month “from Guinea’s Ministry of Economy and Finances to sign an agreement with Exim Bank to establish a line of credit in the health sector.”

Now, Loua says, India’s businessmen have to chip in. “Guinea is still ready for business. You have stood with us for so long, now you can trust our government and leadership to do their best to ensure that we beat this virus.”