CONAKRY: British scientists announced trials on a 15-minute Ebola test in Guinea as France’s Francois Hollande arrived in Conakry on Friday, becoming the first Western leader to visit one of the countries devastated by the epidemic.

The prototype is six times faster than current tests and aims to speed up diagnosis, the London-based global research charity Wellcome Trust and Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) said in a statement.

“A reliable, 15-minute test that can confirm cases of Ebola would be a key tool for effective management of the Ebola outbreak, allowing patients to be identified, isolated and cared for as soon as possible,” said Val Snewin of the Wellcome Trust.

She said the test was designed to be suitable for remote field hospitals where electricity and cold storage are often scarce.

The trials, to be led by researchers from Dakar’s Pasteur Institute at an Ebola treatment center in Conakry in the coming weeks, will come as a welcome boon in Guinea which has lost 1,200 people to Ebola.

The biggest Ebola epidemic on record has claimed around 5,700 lives in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since the beginning of the year, according to the World Health Organization.

President Hollande pledged his support for Guinea after arriving in France’s west African former colony on Friday.

“We have a duty to support you,” he told his hosts, adding that, “we are together with you in the struggle.”

The visit, the first by a French president since 1999, has been touted as a bid to deliver “a message of solidarity” to Guinea as it battles the worst outbreak of Ebola since the virus was discovered in 1976.

France has pledged 100 million euros ($125 million) as a contribution in the fight against the epidemic, focusing its efforts on Guinea.

The money will help finance several care centers as well as 200 beds, some of which are reserved for health workers caring for the sick.

France has also pledged to set up two training centers for health workers, one in France and one in Guinea. In addition, French biotechnology companies will set up rapid diagnostic tests in Africa.

Hollande was due to visit health care facilities, participate in a round-table discussion on Ebola and hold talks with his Guinean counterpart Alpha Conde.

The French leader will also sign a cooperation agreement with Guinean authorities for the creation of a Pasteur Institute in Conakry by the end of 2016, the global medical research organization said on Thursday. Guinean President Alpha Conde said Hollande’s visit sent an important message.

“For the people of Guinea, the arrival of President Hollande is a very, very important sign,” he said.

“If the president of a country as important as France can come to Guinea, that means anyone can come to Guinea.”

The visit comes amid heightened tensions in Guinea over the government’s handling of the Ebola crisis and criticism over curbs to free speech. Conde said on Wednesday the use of force was entirely justified in battling the deadly Ebola outbreak.