Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
World
Home / World / World Watch

Unified fight against virus needed in Africa

By Shadrack Kuyoh | China Daily Global | Updated: 2020-05-25 09:51
Share
Share - WeChat
Women carry bags of maize meal on their heads as people queue to receive food aid amid the spread of the coronavirus disease outbreak, at the Itireleng informal settlement, near Laudium suburb in Pretoria, South Africa, May 20, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]

Efforts to support African states have been trickling in, but with little overall coordination.

The G20, for instance, pledged a global stimulus fund of $5 trillion, whereas the African Development Bank has created a $10 billion fund. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund continue to approve billions of dollars to help Africa tackle the pandemic.

China, on the other hand, has been leading in donations of personal protective equipment and contributions from the private sector, such as Alibaba and the Jack Ma Foundation, and the deployment of medical experts and equipment globally to combat COVID-19.

However, Africa's focus is more inclined toward reducing the fear that medical systems might cave in under the weight of the pandemic, and restoring the economy. The risk of social, political and security disruption also looms. There also is an urge to promote national interests first, compared with the adoption of a collective approach.

This is unfolding against the backdrop of deteriorating economies in the region due to such adversities as locust invasions in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan; civil unrest in Burkina Faso, the Lake Chad Basin and Mali; and the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea.

Significantly, the African Union's Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 Outbreak, published in March, is yet to oversee the full collaboration of the groupings of African states known as regional economic communities. As of last week, the regional blocs were dealing with the situation differently.

A comprehensive look at areas that could be affected by the novel coronavirus shows possible uncertainties in the future of Africa's democracy, peace and security architecture.

For example, on March 31, the National Election Board of Ethiopia further postponed the country's parliamentary elections from August to an unknown date, due to COVID-19.

Also of concern are security and social challenges linked to the pandemic that are rapidly evolving and fueled by complexities accompanying the implementation of regional response mechanisms.

The implementation of crucial peace agreements is being delayed, and negotiation efforts are being hindered. Terror groups are also leveraging the COVID-19 outbreak to spread misinformation as well as use diverse social media platforms to conduct recruitment.

In addition, the pandemic is heightening concerns in the region about the more than 17.7 million internally displaced people and more than 6.3 million refugees.

Therefore, it is essential for the continent to reinforce regional integration toward a more unified fight against the virus. Perhaps it can borrow a leaf from handling other infections, such as the Ebola outbreak.

The drive for funding should be well coordinated to ensure a seamless recovery plan.

Africa has proved its willingness and determination to fend off the pandemic. A balance should be created between strengthening domestic and neighboring countries' capacities to achieve a collective approach to crisis management.

The author is a legal and policy adviser at Williams Hill (SRC) Inc. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产精品久久久久久福利| 久久久久人妻精品一区三寸蜜桃 | 中文字幕91在线| www.99精品| 4hu44四虎在线观看| 99heicom视频| 美女张开双腿让男生捅| 真实男女动态无遮挡图| 欧美日韩国产精品自在自线| 日韩欧美卡一卡二卡新区| 欧美怡红院在线| 曰批视频免费30分钟成人| 护士们的放荡交换全文| 夜夜添无码试看一区二区三区| 国产精品喷水在线观看| 国产一级第一级毛片| 国产精品视频免费一区二区| 欧美va亚洲va在线观看| 日韩精品无码久久一区二区三| 日本护士69xxxx免费| 女大学生的沙龙室| 国产猛男猛女超爽免费视频| 国产精品亚韩精品无码a在线| 国产欧美另类久久精品蜜芽 | 中文字幕一区二区三区精彩视频| aⅴ一区二区三区无卡无码| free哆啪啪免费永久| 美女被羞羞在线观看漫画| 欧美综合区自拍亚洲综合绿色 | 91蜜桃传媒一二三区| 91久久国产精品| 色天天综合色天天碰| 欧美黑人巨大videos精| 最近免费中文字幕大全高清10| 欧美xxxxxxxxxx黑人| 欧美xxxx做受欧美| 最近中文国语字幕在线播放| 成年女性特黄午夜视频免费看| 国内精品久久久久久久影视| 国产成人一区二区三区电影网站| 国产91久久精品一区二区|