Category: Opinion

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Opinion

Mitigating COVID-19’s impact on Africa’s food systems, By Atsuko Toda and Martin Fregene

Mitigating COVID-19’s impact on Africa’s food systems, By Atsuko Toda and Martin Fregene
Mitigating COVID-19’s impact on Africa’s food systems, By Atsuko Toda and Martin Fregene

 

OPINION: Mitigating COVID-19’s impact on Africa’s food systems

By Atsuko Toda and Martin Fregene

We are facing great uncertainty on the African continent. The global spread of COVID-19 and the rising number of coronavirus cases in Africa are fueling anxiety about negative economic growth, failing healthcare and collapsing food systems. We are already grappling with a locust outbreak in the Horn of Africa, drought and flood extremes due to climate change and increasing food importation costs  of more than $47 billion in 2019. The convergence of all these sets the stage for an imminent food crisis –  unless measures are taken to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

Consider also that the U.S. dollar has surged against emerging market currencies, reducing the purchasing power of countries reliant on commodity imports and sparking higher consumer prices. Inflationary pressure on food staples can breed social tension and even unrest.

Anti-pandemic measures like nationwide lockdowns and border closures compound food shortages – especially of nutritious but perishable foods like fruit and vegetables. Restrictions on movement and quarantine measures impede farmers’ access to markets. In Nigeria, rice prices are 30% higher than in January, thanks to panic buying, transport restrictions and rising global prices. 

Also, foreign direct investment and aid into Africa is expected to fall, or be delayed as international investors and development partners redirect capital to their local economies and into stimulus packages to combat COVID-19.

But Africa is coming up with its own solutions for these challenges, with the African Development Bank being prominently involved. To address the threat of food security, several short-term measures are being taken:

·  Creation of a “green channel” for the free flow of food and agricultural inputs.

·  Creation of strong demand for agricultural inputs of fertilizer, seeds and agro-chemicals through smart input famer subsidies.

·  Measures to prevent food price hikes by releasing food from government grain reserves and implementing anti-hoarding policy.

·  Rapid scale up of food production technologies, including high-yielding, early-maturing, drought-tolerant, disease- and pest-resistant staple crops, livestock and fish through programs like the Bank’s Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation initiative. (taat-africa.org)

·  Feeding programs for the worst affected and most vulnerable zones.

Medium to longer-term food security interventions include:

·  Provision of recovery strategy support to key supply chain players like logistics companies and anchor farmers.

·  Strengthening food supply chain resilience via efficient production, processing and value addition.

·  Enforcing food safety, improved food quality and traceability policies in the post-coronavirus period.

·  Promoting digitalization and e-commerce in markets hit by COVID-19.

Guided by lessons learned from previous health crises, including the Ebola epidemic, the Bank has responded to the pandemic by putting together a package of support for the public and private sector. The COVID-19 Response Facility will mobilize up to $10 billion to provide financial assistance to African countries fight the pandemic. The Bank has also raised a $3 billon COVID-19 bond, proceeds of which will go to address fiscal challenges, as well as emergency procurement of drugs, vaccinations, ventilators and other health-related expenditures, as well as feeding programs, agro-input subsidies and other socio-economic interventions. 

To rebound from the pandemic, Africa must maintain adequate food reserves, avoid protectionist policies and promote value chains that link domestic and international markets. As the Bank takes a key role in supporting African countries to design and implement coordinated policy responses, it will work with regional partners including the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, as well as international ones such as the World Trade Organization, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Bank, and other international partners.  

Dr. Martin Fregene is the Bank’s Director of Agriculture and Agro-industry.

Atsuko Toda is Director of Agricultural Finance and Rural Development at African Development Bank.
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Opinion

China must pay reparations to Africa on COVID-19 failures—Ezekwesili

COVID-19: China must pay reparations to Africa—Ezekwesili
COVID-19: China must pay reparations to Africa—Ezekwesili

 

OPINION: COVID-19: China must pay reparations to Africa—Ezekwesili

The covid-19 pandemic has dealt a severe injury to Africa’s development prospects and worsened the conditions of its poor and vulnerable. Although there are calls for voluntary international aid to support the continent during this difficult time, this is far from the best solution.

The continent must be accorded damages and liability compensation from China, the rich and powerful country that failed to transparently and effectively manage this global catastrophe. Africa’s economic gains since the last global crisis have been eroded. It is time to make offending rich countries pay the poor ones a global risk burden tax for delaying their rise out of poverty.

Today, Africa is home to more than 70 percent of the world’s poorest people, with more than 400 million living below the poverty line. It is no surprise that it is disproportionately vulnerable to this crisis. It should not suffer even more because yet another powerful country failed to act responsibly.

China should immediately announce a complete write-off of the more than $140 billion that its government, banks and contractors extended to countries in Africa between 2000 and 2017. This would provide partial compensation to African countries for the impact that the coronavirus is already having on their economies and people.

The analysis of the balance of compensation due to Africa can then follow from discussions with the Africa Union and its member countries, alongside global and regional organizations including the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank and the European Union.

Our world is long overdue for a change of approach in the way it manages global risks that leave the poor worse off due to failures of the rich and powerful. The current model of development assistance is broken and can never deliver any real change of fortune for the most vulnerable. We need a new model that strengthens people to engage in the design of their pathway out of poverty and builds economic resilience.

The current conditions mirror what happened during the 2008 global financial crisis. In my time as the vice president in charge of the World Bank’s operations in Africa, we had to mobilize internal and partner resources to mitigate the severity of the economic recession suffered by the continent. Exogenous shocks dealt a lethal blow to the countries’ decade-long steady rises of economic growth, which had averaged 5 to 6 percent annually until tumbling to 2.4 percent in 2009.

This sharp fall ended Africa’s upward economic growth trajectory and sent per capita income tumbling. It increased inequality and the number of Africans in absolute poverty. Such fragile and low economic growth rates for a continent with one of the world’s highest concentrations of young people and annual population growth rate of about 2.5 percent is a key reason for widespread multidimensional poverty — a threat that carries seeds of global insecurity and instability.

The economic shock caused by the coronavirus has badly reduced the opportunity Africa would otherwise have had to lift hundreds of millions out of poverty. The African Union Commission estimates that Africa’s gross domestic product will shrink by as much as 4.5 percent, resulting in 20 million job losses.

This has dangerously hampered the possibility that Africa can generate jobs for young people and women, or increase literacy levels by reducing the number of out-of-school children with access to quality learning opportunities. It will result in lessened ability to reduce maternal and child mortality, improve nutrition and food security, make reliable energy available and accessible, improve the availability of quality roads, water, sanitation, and other infrastructure, and such other investments in public goods.

China, a country that only within the past four decades has managed to lift more than 850 million people out of poverty, would understand how critical it is for African countries to accelerate inclusive growth. While economies in Asia, Europe and the Americas have announced hefty emergency stimulus packages for their people and businesses, countries in Africa struggle to meet short-term food needs.

Most of Africa’s countries simply do not have the buffer required for fiscal relief in times of crisis, because they were already severely constrained by budgetary crises caused by poor domestic revenue mobilization, high public debts and low productivity. The parlous public finances of these countries worsened due to volatility in commodity prices as the pandemic worsened.

Africa faces frequent shocks caused by climate, terrorism, health issues, food insecurity, crime and other sources of risk. Most of these perils emanate from the failures of the rich and powerful economies, but end up inflicting a disproportionate share of the poor and vulnerable.

China should demonstrate world leadership by acknowledging its failure to be transparent on covid-19. Beijing’s leadership should then commit to an independent expert panel evaluation of its pandemic response. China and the rest of the Group of 20 countries should engage with the Africa Union and countries to design a reparations mechanism.

It is time for rich economies to show that our world is capable of doing right by the poor and vulnerable.

China must pay.

Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili is the former vice president for the Africa region at the World Bank and the former minister of education for Nigeria. She is the co-convener of Nigeria’s #BringBackOurGirls Movement.

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Opinion

OPINION: Turning COVID-19 tragedy into opportunity for New Nigeria. By Godiwn Emefiele

OPINION: Turning COVID-19 tragedy into opportunity for New Nigeria, By Godwin Emefiele
OPINION: Turning COVID-19 tragedy into opportunity for New Nigeria, By Godwin Emefiele

 

OPINION: Turning COVID-19 tragedy into opportunity for New Nigeria
By Godwin I Emefiele

As many people are now aware, the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in China has rapidly permeated and profoundly changed the world. While this crisis is first and foremost a public health issue, which has claimed the lives of over 123,600 people worldwide, and counting, the economic damages are unprecedented on several fronts: crude oil prices have declined dramatically to as low as US$17 per barrel by the end of March, even before applying the discounts many oil exporters are offering; stock valuations for the NSE-ASI, Nikkei, Dow Jones and FTSE-100 have declined by an average of 23.8 percent between January and March 2020; global airlines have lost about US$252 billion in revenues and across the broad range of industries from hospitality to services, the pain is growing. These outcomes have expectedly thrown the global economy into a recession, the depth and duration of which is currently difficult to fathom. In fact, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that the global economy would decline by 3 percent this year.

Around the world, countries have moved away from multilateralism and responded by fighting for themselves with several measures to protect their own people and economies, regardless of the spillover effects on the rest of the world. According to the World Customs Organization, a total of 32 countries and territories, adopted stringent and immediate export restrictions (https://bit.ly/34EmqxW) on critical medical supplies and drugs that were specifically meant to respond to COVID-19. As of 10 April 2020, an updated count of total export restrictions by the Global Trade Alert Team (https://bit.ly/3bd9AJh) at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland suggest a total of 102 restrictions by 75 countries (https://bit.ly/2V7sHih).

On 4 March 2020, Germany announced an export ban that applied to all sorts of medical protection gear including breathing masks, medical gloves and protective suits. Around the same time, President Macron announced that France will requisition all face masks produced in the country, a de facto export ban. Between 8 February 2020 and 6 April 2020, India released eight (8) different export notifications banning several drugs and medical supplies including hydroxychloroquine, ventilators, personal protections masks, oxygen therapy apparatus, and breathing devices. On 3 April 2020, the Trump Administration invoked the war-era US Defense Production Act to stop major US mask manufacturer, 3M, from export of respirator masks, N95, to Canada and Latin America.

Fears of a long global recession have also led to worries about unprecedented global food insecurity, with concerns that agricultural production may be dislocated by containment measures that constrain workers from planting, managing and harvesting critical crops. Rather than seek cooperative and global solutions, several countries have resorted to export restrictions of critical agricultural produce.

According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), about 37 countries have enacted various forms of food export restrictions in response to COVID-19, even in countries where average production exceeds domestic consumption.

For example, Viet Nam, the world’s third largest exporter of rice, suspended granting rice export certificates until the country “reviews domestic inventories”. Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, announced a ten-day ban on the export of buckwheat and rice due to concerns over panic buying in local supermarkets.

What if these restrictions become the new normal? What if the COVID-19 pandemic continues in a second wave or another pandemic occurs in which all borders are shut, and food imports are significantly restricted? What if we cannot seek medical care outside Nigeria and must rely on local hospitals and medical professionals? For how long shall we continue to rely on the world for anything and everything at every time?

Although these developments are troubling, they present a clear opportunity to re-echo a persistent message the CBN has been sending for a long time, and at this time even more urgently so: we must look inwards as a nation and guarantee food security, high quality and affordable healthcare, and cutting-edge education for our people.

For a country of over 200 million people, and projected to be about 450 million in a few decades, we can no longer ignore repeated warnings about the dangers that lie ahead if we do not begin to depend largely on what we produce locally, because the security and well-being of our nation is contingent on building a well-diversified and inclusive productive economy.

When I became Governor of the Central Bank in June 2014, imports of rice, fish, wheat and sugar alone consumed about N1.3 trillion worth of foreign exchange from the Bank. The immediate question that came to my mind was: can we not grow these ourselves? After all, only a few decades ago, Nigeria was one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of palm oil, cocoa and groundnuts.

Today, we import nearly 600,000 metric tonnes of palm oil, whilst Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries that were far behind us in this crop, now combine to export over 90 percent of global demand. In 2017, Indonesia earned US$12.6 billion from its oil and gas sector but US$18.4 billion in from palm oil. I believe that this pandemic and the immediate response of many of our trading partners suggest it is now more critical than ever that we take back control, not just control over our economy, but also of our destiny and our future.

In line with the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari, the CBN has indeed created several lending programmes and provided hundreds of billions to smallholder farmers and industrial processors in several key agricultural produce.

These policies are aimed at positioning Nigeria to become a self-sufficient food producer, creating millions of jobs, supplying key markets across the country and dampening the effects of exchange rate movements on local prices.

This philosophy has been a consistent theme of the CBN’s policies over the last couple of years. At the 2016 Annual Bankers’ Dinner, I challenged the bankers that we needed to take decisive actions to fundamentally transform the structure of our economy. Throughout that speech, I talked about the damaging effects of Nigeria’s unsustainable propensity to import, and opined that it was high time we looked inwards and stopped using hard-earned foreign exchange (FX) to import items that we could produce locally.

This determination, therefore, formed the bedrock of the Bank’s policy, which restricts access to FX for importers of many items. These sentiments were re-echoed at the 2017 edition of the same Bankers’ Dinner, with specific examples of several companies that have benefited significantly from this policy of self-sufficiency. With President Buhari’s full support, we have continued to refine this policy to ensure that the best interest of Nigeria is served.

Many times, the Bank has been accused of promoting protectionist policies. My answer has always been that leaders are first and foremost accountable to their own citizens. And if the vagaries of international trade threaten their wellbeing, leaders have to react by compelling some change in patterns of trade to the greater good of their citizens.

That is why in response to COVID-19, we are strengthening the Nigerian economy by providing a combined stimulus package of about N3.5 trillion in targeted measures to households, businesses, manufacturers and healthcare providers. These measures are deliberately designed to both support the Federal Government’s immediate fight against COVID-19, but also to build a more resilient, more self-reliant Nigerian economy.

We do not know what the world will look like after this pandemic. Countries may continue to look inwards and globalization as we know it today may be dead for a generation.

Therefore, as a nation, we cannot afford to continue relying on the world for our food, education and healthcare. The time has come to fully transform Nigeria into a modern, sophisticated and inclusive economy that is self-sufficient, rewards the hardworking, but protects the poor and vulnerable, and can compete internationally across a range of strategic sectors.

In order to achieve this goal, we must begin immediately to support the Federal Government to:

1) Build a base of high quality infrastructure, including reliable power, that can engender industrial activity;

2) Support both smallholder and large scale agriculture production in select staple and cash crops;

3) Create an ecosystem of factories, storages, and logistics companies that move raw materials to factories and finished goods to markets;

4) Use our fiscal priorities to create a robust educational system that enables critical thinking and creativity, which would better prepare our children for the world of tomorrow;

5) Develop a healthcare system that is trusted to keep all Nigerians healthy, irrespective of social class;

6) Facilitate access to cheap and long-term credit for SMEs and large corporates;

7) Develop and strengthen pro-poor policies that bring financial services and security to the poor and the vulnerable; and

8) Expedite the development of venture capitalists for nurturing new ideas and engendering Nigerian businesses to compete globally.

India is in a position to ban exports because it is producing critical drugs and medical supplies that the rest of the world needs. It also has companies that are global champions, and even making mergers and acquisitions in advanced nations. Why should this be out of our reach? We have the companies too; we have the manpower and some of the best brains in the world from the Americas to Europe and from Asia to Africa are Nigerians; driving global innovations in all fields. Nigerians are successful everywhere, and are already one of the most sought after immigrant groups in the United States.

But now is the time to seize this opportunity and create an environment that empowers our people to thrive within our own shores.

To this end, the Central Bank has developed a Policy Response Timeline to guide our crises management and the orderly reboot of the Nigerian economy.

Immediate-Term Policies (0-3 Months):

In light of the fact that this crisis is an exogenous one thrust upon us without much warning, this phase reflects the government’s efforts at containment and mitigation. Although global cases are heading towards two million with over 123, 600 deaths as of 14 April 2020, we now have 343 cases, of which 10 deaths and 91 recoveries have been recorded. With President Buhari’s continuing strong leadership, Nigeria can now test 1500 persons per day in twelve (12) Molecular Test Laboratories. We believe that this strong leadership in travel restrictions, lockdown, social distancing, and other measures have been greatly effective to curbing the spread of the disease. More so, the Presidential Task Force and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have helped the country stay ahead of the curve with increased testing capacity, provision of better-equipped isolation centres, and effective contact tracing. Within this milieu, the CBN has responded in several ways, first by supporting hospitals and pharmaceutical industry with low interest loans to immediately deal with the public health crises; then by working with the private sector Coalition Against COVID (CACOVID) to support the Presidential Task Force across its response, while mobilizing palliatives for the poor and vulnerable. Under this Immediate-Term Response, we have activated the following: 1) Ensuring financial system stability by granting regulatory forbearance to banks to restructure terms of facilities in affected sectors; 2) Triggering banks and other financial institutions to roll-out business continuity processes to ensure that banking services are delivered in a safe social-distance regime for all customers and bankers; 3) Granting additional moratorium of 1 year on CBN intervention facilities; 4) Reducing interest rates on intervention facilities from 9 percent to 5 percent; 5) Creation of N50 billion targeted credit facility for affected households & SMEs; 6) Strengthening the Loan-Deposit Ratio (LDR) policy, which is encouraging significant extra lending from banks; 7) Improving FX supply to the CBN by directing all oil companies (international and domestic) and all related companies (oil service) to sell FX to CBN and no longer to the NNPC; 8) Providing additional N100b intervention in healthcare loans to pharmaceutical companies, healthcare practitioners intending to expand/build capacity; 9) providing N1 trillion in loans to boost local manufacturing and production across critical sectors; and 10) Engendering financial inclusion by ensuring the poor and vulnerable are able, by all means necessary, through banks, microfinance, community and non-bank financial institutions, to access financial services to meet their basic needs.

Short-Term Policy Priorities (0 – 12 months):

As soon as President Muhammadu Buhari and the Health authorities determine our Coronavirus Transmission Curve is flattening and many of the ongoing restrictions are eased, this will be the phase for repositioning the Nigerian economic space. As part of the lessons from the current pandemic, we must ensure that that our value-added sector, the manufacturing industry is strengthened. Accordingly, the CBN will pursue the following policies in this phase: 1) Reinvigorate our financial support for the manufacturing sector by expanding the intervention all through its value-chain. In most cases, we will ensure that primary products sourced locally provide essential raw material for the manufacturing sector except where they are only available overseas; 2) With the support of the Federal Government, the CBN will embark on a project to get banks and private equity firms to finance homegrown and sustainable healthcare services that will help to reverse medical tourism out of Nigeria. By offering long-term financing for the entire healthcare value-chain (including medicine, pharmaceuticals, and critical care), banks will work with healthcare providers to consolidate on the current efforts to rebuild our medical facilities in order to ensure Nigeria has world class affordable hospitals for the people of Nigeria and those wishing to visit Nigeria for treatment; 3) The CBN will promote the establishment of InfraCo PLC, a world class infrastructure development vehicle, wholly focused on Nigeria, with combined debt and equity take-off capital of N15 trillion, and managed by an independent infrastructure fund manager. This fund will be utilized to support the Federal Government in building the transport infrastructure required to move agriculture products to processors, raw materials to factories, and finished goods to markets, as envisaged at the CBN Going for Growth Roundtable in March 2020; and 4) Continue to prioritize the provision of FX for the importation of machinery and critical raw materials needed to drive a self-sufficient Nigerian economy.

Medium-Term Policy Priorities (0 -3 Years): 

Once the world returns to some new normal having tamed COVID-19 by a combination of vaccines and social distancing, and the Nigerian economy reopens fully for business, we will act quickly to enable faster recovery of the economy by targeted measures towards particular sectors that are able to support mass employment and wealth creation in the country. We will do so by focusing on four main areas, namely, light manufacturing, affordable housing, renewable energy, and cutting-edge research.

In manufacturing, for example, it is pertinent to note that Nigeria’s gross fixed capital formation is currently estimated at N24.55 trillion made up residential and non-residential properties, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, land improvement, research and development, and breeding stocks. Of this estimated value, machinery and equipment, which are the main inputs into economic production, are currently valued at only N2.61 trillion. In order to pursue a substantial economic renewal, including replacement of at least 25 percent of the existing machinery and equipment for enhanced local production, we estimate at least N662 billion worth of investments to acquire hi-tech machinery and equipment. Therefore, the CBN will consider an initial intervention of N500 billion over the medium term, specifically targeted at manufacturing firms to procure state-of-the-art machinery and equipment and automated manufacturing models that would fast-track local production and economic rejuvenation, as well as support increased patronage of locally processed products such as cement, steel, iron rods, and doors, amongst several other products. The recent private sector investments in cement production using enhanced technology and automated manufacturing models is a good example of the kind of economic renewal we will be pursuing in this phase. We will develop a thorough screening process and stringent criteria for equipment types that would qualify for funding under this phase.

In order to boost job creation, household incomes and economic growth, we will be focusing our attention to bridging the housing deficit in the country, by facilitating government intervention in three critical areas: housing development, mortgage finance, and institutional capacity.

We will pursue the creation of a fund that will target housing construction for developers that provide evidence of profiled off-takers with financial capacity to repay. The current identification framework in the banking sector using the bank verification number (BVN) will be used to verify the information provided by the off-takers before the developer can access the funds. We will also be considering ways to assist the Mortgage Finance Sub-sector as well as build capacity at the State levels for their land administration agencies to process and issue land titles promptly, implement investment friendly foreclosure laws and reduce the cost of land documentation, as this has remained a major inhibiting factor in the provision of affordable housing in the country.

Over the next 3 years, we will also support the financing of environmentally friendly energy production, as this has a tangential long-term health benefits. We will look at efforts to drive innovation and research in every sector, through our universities, research institutions, creative industry initiatives, and all other media of novelty and inventions.

In conclusion, I believe we must now envision and work toward a Nigeria with the cutting edge medical facilities to provide world class care to the sick and vulnerable; enable our universities and research institutions to provide the requisite education and training that is required to keep these ecosystems functioning sustainably and efficiently; and millions of Nigerians employed in meaningful and well-paying jobs. This is the Nigeria that we must aspire to build.

COVID-19 may have plunged us into a crisis of unprecedented proportions. But, as Winston Churchill once admonished, we must never let a crisis go to waste.

– Godwin I. Emefiele, CON is Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria

 

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Opinion

OPINION: Personal Responsibility, Best Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

OPINION: Personal Responsibility, Best Response to COVID-19 Pandemic, By Shola M Dele-Olowu
OPINION: Personal Responsibility, Best Response to COVID-19 Pandemic, By Shola M Dele-Olowu

 

OPINION: Personal Responsibility, Best Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

By Shola M Dele-Olowu

It is almost four months after the world first met Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is an infectious respiratory (flu-like) disease caused by a newly discovered Coronavirus that until now was only able to infect animals. Around the globe, conversations are laden with speculation and conspiracy of the whys and what-ifs and there is a new global tagline, social distancing – almost as if we are living out scenes from Hollywood apocalyptic movies. If there was ever a time where the limitations of modern science was clear, it is now. Which begs the question ‘Is the world producing enough scientists to deal with emergencies when they arise?’ While scientists and public health experts grapple with understanding the disease, developing vaccines and determining the appropriate treatment, the rest of the world is left to either deal with the situation responsibly or indulge in spreading fake news, fear, and panic. Global health institutions such as the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as ministries of health across countries are providing up to date information on what people need to know about the disease – and how to prevent it. However, the success of curbing the spread of the disease is also dependent on how individuals take up their responsibility to adhere to precautionary measures.

Is Nigeria doing enough?

Nigeria is no stranger to epidemics – the country is dealing with Lassa fever outbreaks recording an alarming 161 deaths out of 906 lab-confirmed cases by week 11 of 2020.  In addition, there are frequent cases of vaccine-preventable diseases such as yellow fever and measles, due to suboptimal immunization coverage.  The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has been exceptional in its attempt to keep people informed of the disease and with its efforts at intensive risk communication and guidelines for infection prevention and control, there is enough information to allow people to make the right decisions about what and not to do. For example, the NCDC has communicated a Self-Isolation guidance document for individuals who have been exposed. However, people need a more concrete metric of success – how many cases are confirmed by testing and have all contacts been traced? Countries with higher rates of confirmed cases tend to be those where a larger share of the total population has been tested. For instance, by March 20, South Africa was at over 240 cases with a test rate of 109/million while South Korea with 8000+ cases with a test rate of 6,148/million. Still there are significant differences between countries concerning attempts to control the pandemic and while government can do so much better, it cannot do everything alone.  This brings us to the point of personal responsibility. 

Who should be responsible for slowing the spread of COVID-19?

While testing is important, it will not stop the spread of disease. Whom do we then hold responsible when people do not adhere to precautionary measures? Personal responsibility is the willingness to both accept the importance of standards that society establishes for individual behavior and to make strenuous personal efforts to live by those standards. When applied to health, most individuals desire to do what they can or must to stay healthy: proper diet, exercise, etc. because they have knowledge of its importance. Nevertheless, knowledge does not always translate to a willingness to act, let alone practice.  Essentially, people need to understand or have the insight themselves about the disease with the right information, and not just be told, that their health and well-being is a function of personal responsibility. Unless people include this crucial principle of self-responsibility into their own personal belief system, each person will be limited in their ability to guarantee their own safety as well as the safety of others, whether co-workers, family or friends both on and off their jobs. In medicine, there is an enduring principle: “Primum non nocere” which means ‘first, do no harm’ which may seem obvious as doctors and health workers are sworn to save lives. Is it time to raise this bar to the community, “Primum non nocere proximo tuo, et in se” – ‘first, do no harm to oneself and thy neighbor?’

With utter lack of responsibility by individuals and in certain circumstances, outright denial of the diseases’ existence, the virus is bound to spread. We have seen this is many parts across Europe and the USA.  This implies the urgent need for extensive social and behavioral change communication for people to take disease prevention seriously and protect not only oneself but also others.  Experts agree that COVID-19 cannot be stopped but can be slowed down by social distancing, defined by the CDC as “remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible.” Religious bodies in Nigeria for instance, have a huge responsibility to the society to not only educate but also enforce social distancing measures during disease outbreaks. Religious leaders usually wield a lot of power within societal social structures and consequently should be leading such behavior change campaigns against COVID-19 in Nigeria to flatten the curve.  Failure to do this reflects either a lack of understanding of the disease and/or disregard for the greater good.

Effective communication is always key

The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us of harmful rumors that spread widely during the 2014 Ebola experience; ‘’Chew bitter kola”,” Drink bleach”, “Bathe in saltwater”, “Drink saltwater”. Get “Nano silver” the “magic Ebola drug. These were some examples that had costly implications.  While these messages were being propagated, the index case, who died from Ebola in Nigeria, had generated a list of 898 contacts traced to him by infectious disease experts. Imagine the exponential rise in number of potential contacts with COVID-19 in Nigeria, if we do not contain it immediately. To address the behavioral and social aspects of health risks that herald and follow public health emergencies, it is critical to ensure clear and credible communication to minimize resulting health, social and economic costs. Strong, cohesive and targeted messages communicated via different sources is the defining factor for if an emergency spirals out of control or managed effectively.  However, because emergencies are often characterized by uncertainty, this typically fuels fear and panic among communities and spreads misconceptions and tales that can affect people’s ability to appropriately respond to the emergency.

While we wait for medical and scientific breakthroughs on vaccines and treatments, we must be accountable for our actions and the effects they have on society in preventing further spread. Today, we cannot pray away this pandemic and must do all we can to stop the spread of COVID-19 because when it comes to viruses, we cannot count on luck.                `

Dr. Shola M Dele-Olowu is a Nigerian Health policy and financing advisor.

 

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Opinion

Opinion: COVID-19 pandemic is no time for fiscal distancing, By Akinwumi A. Adesina

Opinion: COVID-19 pandemic is no time for fiscal distancing, By Akinwumi A. Adesina
Opinion: COVID-19 pandemic is no time for fiscal distancing, By Akinwumi A. Adesina

 

Opinion: Pandemic is no time for fiscal distancing, By A. A Adesina
The African Development Bank estimates that Covid-19 could cost Africa a GDP loss between $22.1 billion and $88.3 billion in the worst case scenario

These are very difficult days, as the world faces one of its worst challenges ever: the novel coronavirus pandemic. And it seems almost no nation is spared. As infection rates rise, so does panic across financial markets, as economies drastically slow down and supply chains are severely disrupted. 

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. As such, it can no longer be business as usual. 

Each day, the situation evolves and requires constant reviews of precautionary measures and strategies. In the midst of all this, we must all worry about the ability of every nation to respond to this crisis. And we must ensure that developing nations are prepared to navigate these uncharted waters fully. 

That’s why I support the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ urgent call for special resources for the world’s developing countries. 

In the face of this pandemic, we must put lives above resources and health above debt. Why? Because developing economies are the most vulnerable at this time. Our remedies must go beyond simply lending more. We must go the extra mile and provide countries with much-needed and urgent financial relief — and that includes developing countries under sanctions. 

According to the independent, global think tank ODI in its report on the impact of economic sanctions, for decades, sanctions have decimated investments in public health care systems in quite a number of countries.

Today, the already stretched systems as noted in the 2019 Global Health Security Index will find it difficult to face up to a clear and present danger that now threatens our collective existence.

Only those that are alive can pay back debts.  

Sanctions work against economies but not against the virus. If countries that are under sanctions are unable to respond and provide critical care for their citizens or protect them, then the virus will soon “sanction” the world.

In my Yoruba language, there is a saying. “Be careful when you throw stones in the open market. It may hit a member of your family.”  

That’s why I also strongly support the call by the UN Secretary-General that debts of low-income countries be suspended in these fast-moving and uncertain times. 

But I call for even bolder actions, and there are several reasons for doing so. 

First, the economies of developing countries, despite years of great progress, remain extremely fragile and ill equipped to deal with this pandemic. They are more likely to be buried with the heavy fiscal pressure they now face with the coronavirus. 

Second, many of the countries in Africa depend on commodities for export earnings. The collapse of oil prices has thrown African economies into distress. According the AFDB’s 2020 Africa Economic Outlook, they simply are not able to meet budgets as planned under pre-coronavirus oil price benchmarks.

The impact has been immediate in the oil and gas sector, as noted in a recent CNN news analysis.

In the current environment, we can anticipate an acute shortage of buyers who, for understandable reasons, will reallocate resources to addressing the Covid-19 pandemic. African countries that depend on tourism receipts as a key source of revenue are also in a straightjacket. 

Third, while rich countries have resources to spare, evidenced by trillions of dollars in fiscal stimulus, developing countries are hampered with bare-bones resources. 

The fact is, if we do not collectively defeat the coronavirus in Africa, we will not defeat it anywhere else in the world. This is an existential challenge that requires all hands to be on deck. Today, more than ever, we must be our brothers and sisters’ keepers.  

Around the world, countries at more advanced stages in the outbreak are announcing liquidity relief, debt restructuring, forbearance on loan repayments, relaxation of standard regulations and initiatives.

In the United States, packages of more than $2 trillion have already been announced, in addition to a reduction in Federal Reserve lending rates and liquidity support to keep markets operating. In Europe, the larger economies have announced stimulus measures in excess of 1 trillion Euros. Additionally, even larger packages are expected. 

As developed countries put in place programs to compensate workers for lost wages for staying at home for social distancing, another problem has emerged — fiscal distancing.

Think for a moment what this means for Africa. 

The African Development Bank estimates that Covid-19 could cost Africa a GDP loss between $22.1 billion, in the base case scenario, and $88.3 billion in the worst case scenario. This is equivalent to a projected GDP growth contraction of between 0.7 and 2.8 percentage points in 2020. It is even likely that Africa might fall into recession this year if the current situation persists.

The Covid-19 shock will further squeeze fiscal space in the continent as deficits are estimated to widen by 3.5 to 4.9 percentage points, increasing Africa’s financing gap by an additional $110 to $154 billion in 2020. 

Our estimates indicate that Africa’s total public debt could increase, under the base case scenario, from $1.86 trillion at the end of 2019 to over $2 trillion in 2020, compared to $1.9 trillion projected in a ‘no pandemic’ scenario. According to a March 2020 Bank report, these figures could reach $2.1 trillion in 2020 under the worst case scenario.

This, therefore, is a time for bold actions. We should temporarily defer the debt owed to multilateral development banks and international financial institutions. This can be done by re-profiling loans to create fiscal space for countries to deal with this crisis.  

That means that loan principals due to international financial institutions in 2020 could be deferred. I am calling for temporary forbearance, not forgiveness. What’s good for bilateral and commercial debt must be good for multilateral debt.

That way, we will avoid moral hazards, and rating agencies will be less inclined to penalize any institution on the potential risk to their Preferred Creditor Status.  The focus of the world should now be on helping everyone, as a risk to one is a risk to all.

There is no coronavirus for developed countries and a coronavirus for developing and debt-stressed countries. We are all in this together.  

Multilateral and bilateral financial institutions must work together with commercial creditors in Africa, especially to defer loan payments and give Africa the fiscal space it needs.

We stand ready to support Africa in the short term and for the long haul. We are ready to deploy up to $50 billion over five years in projects to help with adjustment costs that Africa will face as it deals with the knock-on effects of Covid-19, long after the current storm subsides. 

But more support will be needed. Let’s lift all sanctions, for now. Even in wartime, ceasefires are called for humanitarian reasons. In such situations, there is a time to pause for relief materials to reach affected populations. The novel coronavirus is a war against all of us. All lives matter.

For this reason, we must avoid fiscal distancing at this time. A stitch in time will save nine.  

Social distancing is imperative now. Fiscal distancing is not. 

*Akinwumi A. Adesina is President of the African Development Bank Group
Categories
Opinion

Finding the optimistic within the pandemic, By Anna Collard

Finding the optimistic within the pandemic, By Anna Collard
Finding the optimistic within the pandemic, By Anna Collard

 

Finding the optimistic within the pandemic, By Anna Collard

The coronavirus pandemic has hit society, business and education at a speed that few could predict, and shaken foundations in ways that none could have anticipated. In the news, only a few items escape Covid-19 in the title. On social media it’s memes and fears about the virus. It’s hard for people to remain upbeat in the face of lockdowns, limited social contact and complex working conditions. Or is it?

“Whatever you focus the most on, that’s what you will get more of,” says Anna Collard, CEO, Popcorn Training, a subsidiary of KnowBe4. “Even before coronavirus there was enough bad news online and on social media to make most people want to sit in a dark room. At this time, when the entire world is shifting on its axis, it has never been more important to focus on the positive and the ways in which this change can benefit us.”

The digital lifestyle

Yes, digital working from home has been thrust upon us, but what stands out in the midst of all the bad news is how most companies could do just that – send their employees home. It highlights the true value of the internet and the IT teams that are working to make it happen and the potential that the digital lifestyle could offer South Africa in the future. From e-learning to working from home to building new businesses that will shine in the post-covid-19 era, society is rapidly advancing to becoming completely digital in an incredibly short period of time.

This digital evolution has also made a huge difference to people who are locked in alone or who crave human contact. Apps are bringing people together in new ways and giving people the chance to reconnect when times are tough. These same apps are being used in virtual conferencing and meetings so that teams can connect and businesses can keep moving into an uncertain future.

The wealth of information

There is immense value in information and coronavirus has brought that to millions of people who are now more aware about hand hygiene and health. This has meant that these people know more about washing their hands, distancing themselves from ill people and minimising the spread of disease than ever before. This will not only help in slowing the spread of coronavirus but the spread of other diseases today and in the future.

The security factor

Organisations are more aware of security than ever before because their employees are working from home and opening up new avenues of risk. This is the perfect time to secure Wi-Fi routers, train people to learn more about phishing and scams, and to protect people from fraud. Companies are investing more into security controls and training to help protect both their assets and their employees. KnowBe4 have created a lot of free content helping companies secure their home workers by making them more aware of the cyber threats and how to stay safe while working from home.

Harnessing creativity

A moment of stillness. An hour of boredom. While this may not be possible for those with families, these moments are invaluable when it comes to igniting creativity and innovative thought. This lockdown could inspire people to come up with new ideas and new businesses, give entrepreneurs the time they need to reshape their ideas, and result in unexpected disruption in unexpected spaces across the world. Creative solutions are definitely needed right now and this time of enforced solitude and thinking is an opportunity for people to find them.

Appreciation and empathy

In Cape Town a restaurant owner shut her doors firmly, more worried about those with HIV than her bottom line. In Johannesburg, the owner of a car repair shop spent his weekend buying supplies for the old age home about to enter lockdown so that the residents didn’t risk their health. Empathy is changing the way people engage with one another while appreciation of the little things and these moments are allowing us to see what’s really important. 

 

Categories
Health Opinion

COVID-19 in Aso Rock: Preparing for Worst Case Scenario, By Omenga Jo

COVID-19 in Aso Rock: Preparing for Worst Case Scenario, By Joshua Omenga
COVID-19 in Aso Rock: Preparing for Worst Case Scenario, By Joshua Omenga

 

COVID-19 in Aso Rock: Preparing for Worst Case Scenario, By Omenga Jo

Is it out of place if Nigeria begins preparation for the worst case scenario now? The style with which COVID-19 is spreading in Nigeria calls for that. In two weeks, confirmed cases of the virus have grown by 600 percent. At this point no prospicience is needed to discern the looming danger. Ordinary calculation is enough to alert us to an impending leadership vacuum in Nigeria. Death of political figures in significant number may be a matter of time away. This is neither a wish nor a prophecy but a fact of observation.

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Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, who I like to call the de facto president, Abba Kyari, is down with Coronavirus; President Buhari himself is reportedly sick and in isolation (time will reveal what else that ails him); two State Governors so far are positive to Coronavirus; and members of the National Assembly and some significant political officers at the national and state levels are also victims of Coronavirus.

The disclosed figures are grim enough, and for the sake of our projection, we only need to consider the circles of those already infected with the Coronavirus. Birds of a feather, it is said, flock together. It is self-evident that when the politicians and rich men throw parties, make burials, organize weddings and birthdays, the attendants are people of their class. Visitors to their private lives are also people of their class. It is no surprise therefore that when they are infected with Coronavirus, they pass it on to people of their class. That is why Mohammed Atiku Abubakar, son of former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar allegedly infected Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; that is why Kyari infected his aides; that is why a significant number of the members of the National Assembly are imperiled by their comrades who had recently returned from oversea travels. The circle continues, and of course the middle class (such as Kyari’s staff) get the infection from their masters and pass it on to the general population, but the ordinary citizens are not the subject of this discussion.

Even without the statistics already reeling out from investigative journalists, one can easily predict the vastness of political figures in Nigeria infected and exposed to Coronavirus. It is no help that these people are mostly advanced in age and are common prey to the mortality of Coronavirus. If one is optimistic enough to predict that of those already infected with the virus, those at latent period, and those yet but inevitably to be infected, only about 50% will succumb to its mortality, then one understands the perspective from which this writing is coming. And mortality among these infected politicians is inevitable, hopes and wishes to the contrary notwithstanding.

Let us then imagine what may lie ahead of our political sphere. Suppose that the number one citizen of Nigeria, currently sick, is in fact positive to Coronavirus and dies therefrom, and the Vice President follows suit (or is in isolation and consequently unable to take over the vacant office of the president), and coincidentally also the Senate President is unable to take over interim function of the office of the president due to the ravages of Coronavirus. Suppose also that the country is in a lockdown, as already it is preparing to. Suppose in addition that due to the lockdown and its financial constraints Nigeria is unable to conduct an election for a new president. Apply these suppositions to the different tiers of government as macrocosms. And now the question is: How is the rudder of the country to be steered under this circumstance until things normalise?

It was Nnamdi Kanu’s contention that the ‘original Buhari’ died in 2017 and that an impostor, discarding his Sudanese name, was installed as president at the behest of some power-obsessed conspirators (presumably headed by Abba Kyari). If for a moment one is to accord credence to such a monstrous proposition, one would at least credit the conspirators and the impostor with ingenuity: they have so far managed to give us a ‘working’ president (by which I mean someone performing a semblance of presidential functions), well-nigh indistinguishable from the ‘real’ president. Without their ingenuity, the next option was for Osibanjo to take over power. Of course – but for the interest of those whose birthright is the rulership of Nigeria – nothing significantly detrimental would have resulted from Osibanjo’s taking over power; it might indeed have been advantageous for Nigeria, for Osibanjo proved his mettle during the brief period of Buhari’s ‘legitimate’ absence.
But now the choice of succession is not so palatable. Covik-1-9 (the Nigerian version of Covid19) is threatening to remove those at the apex of power, and also their immediate successors, the exhaustion of which leaves the country no option but to allow the State affairs to be handled by unseen hands or to elect new officials into the vacant positions. The germane question is: if this wholesale decimation of political office holders should happen while the nation is on lockdown, will it be in the interest of the citizens to impose political officers to take the posts and names of departed office holders (in a fashion similar to Kanu’s allegation), or will the citizens be better served by an open declaration of the truth, and a necessity for an election which its conduct may be impossible or even detrimental to the public safety and existence?

It seems an obvious answer that the people should be allowed to exercise their franchise and elect new political office holders – until one absorbs the impact of the desolation following a Coronavirus lockdown. We need not experience it to understand it; the grisly example of Italy is enough paradigm. People will not only find it physically impossible to exercise their franchise but will be so morally and emotionally weakened from human and economic losses as to care nothing about the political sphere.

It will then be an act of mercy to conceal the truth from the people, to keep the figures of dead and dying political figures hidden while ghost political officers are appointed to replace them, until stability is restored in the country. It is a bitter option, but not as revolting as its alternative of anarchy. Bad leaders are better than no leaders. And who is to say that there will be any difference between those elected by the people and those appointed for them? Have the people not always alleged that those in offices are not their elected leaders or performing the functions for which they are elected? And lately too, the courts have been electing for the people, so that any exigent imposition of political office holders will be but an extension of the present dispensation, but with an option for a cleansing when the shadow of Coronavirus shall have passed over Nigeria.

It may be that Covik-1-9 is the answer to the prayers of many Nigerians against the political class who have beggared them and theirs, but it is an answer better imagined than fulfilled. The common and underdog class may seem ready to make any sacrifice for the common woe, so long as the politicians are also partakers of the woe, yet to leave the rudder of governance without control is not a light matter to contemplate.

Maybe there shall be no significant decimation of the political class by the Coronavirus, but the chance of its occurrence suffices to invite reasoning.

Mr. Omenga, a lawyer is based in Nigeria.

Categories
Editorial Health Interviews

COVID-19 Spread: African Nations Should Declare 21-Day Lockdown Now!

COVID-19 Spread: African Countries Should Declare 21-Day Total Lockdown
COVID-19 Spread: African Countries Should Declare 21-Day Total Lockdown

 

COVID-19 Spread: African Nations Should Declare 21-Day Lockdown Now!

 

With the rate of coronavirus infection rising in Africa, the only way to curtail this pandemic in Africa is by a total lockdown of all activities for at least 21 days. Movements in the towns must be reduced to essentials and properly monitored by the authorities. 

The government should make strict policies about observance of the lockdown until the environment is safe.

If this situation is allowed to spread in Africa where most countries are unprepared for China, United Kingdom or Italy experience, many lives will be lost to poor healthcare facilities and poor social distancing cultures. The Governments must take decisive actions to guard against full blown health war in Africa. It may get out of control. 

 

Also read: Coronavirus pandemic 

Categories
Culture Opinion

In Africa, social distancing is privilege few can afford, By K. Noko

In Africa, social distancing is a privilege few can afford, By Karsten Noko
In Africa, social distancing is a privilege few can afford, By Karsten Noko

 

In Africa, social distancing is privilege few can afford, By K. Noko

If you live in a township, make a living in the informal sector, or travel on a crowded bus, how do you self-quarantine?

The COVID-19 pandemic has already permeated all aspects of life.

While optimists hope it will force us to rethink inequality and global access to healthcare, the realists believe the net effect of the pandemic will be to further entrench the divides that already exist.

In Africa, the crisis has not yet reached epic proportions. But the cracks caused by existing inequalities are already showing.

In South Africa – which declared a national state of disaster because of the pandemic last week – the working classes are navigating how to avoid contamination on cramped public transport on their way to meagre-paying jobs that often only help them live hand-to-mouth, while the more affluent classes empty large chain stores to stockpile as much food and toilet paper as they can.

Imaginary borders

In South Africa, the government only declared a disaster after more than 60 cases appeared. But Rwanda and Kenya declared decisive measures – including travel restrictions and bans on public gatherings – just after the first positive case was reported.

The option of closing borders to deal with the crisis, which some countries have already adopted, is undoubtedly a vexed one. South Africa, for example, has said it will build a 40km (25 miles) fence along its border with Zimbabwe. Although closing borders contributes positively to the social distancing recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the question is how practical such a measure will be for African countries.

National borders were arbitrarily drawn during the colonial era and, for many communities living along these boundaries, they exist only in theory. We see them on Google maps. But trade and family ties have been established since way before colonialism – and they endure. It may be possible to close an official border post, but so-called “irregular crossing points” – dotted across hundreds of kilometres and even over rivers and lakes – abound.

As we saw in the West Africa Ebola outbreak – where the first case was recorded in Guinea before spreading to Liberia and Sierra Leone – and the cholera outbreaks that began in Zimbabwe before spreading to South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique, diseases can easily spread across these essentially imaginary lines that nation-states carve out.

COVID-19 is not novel in this sense.

The myth of self-isolation

Knowing the realities on the ground, it is curious that the WHO and ministries of health in different African countries are recommending that people self-quarantine if they could have been exposed to the coronavirus. In Rwanda, for example, a man travelling from the US has potentially infected his wife and brother, accounting for three of the seven cases. Which raises the question: how are people in shared accommodation expected to self isolate?

Slums and informal settlements are also part of the physical infrastructures of many African cities. All of them were overcrowded and lacked services even before the threat of a global health crisis emerged.

Think of Alexandra in Johannesburg, where over 700,000 people are estimated to live in less than 5 square kilometres (1.9 square miles), Mbare in Harare with some 800,000 people, Kibera in Nairobi with at least 250,000, and Makoko in Lagos with over 300,000 whose homes are built on stilts in a lagoon.

Our big cities also pose a conundrum to people who must commute to work. Anyone who has been stuck in a traffic jam in a “matatu” (bus) in Nairobi or in a taxi in Johannesburg – often filled with 12 to 14 people – knows too well that the idea of social distancing on your way to work is a myth.

Not only are these overcrowded, but the commute and queues to use them require significant amounts of time that could potentially expose more people to the coronavirus.

No choice to ‘work from home’

It is more practical for people who work in offices to “work from home” but if your only means of livelihood is selling tomatoes or second-hand clothes at an informal market in a big city, how do you begin to do this “online”?

The choice before you is often to stay home and fail to provide the evening meal for your family, or to brave it out into the city and try and fend for your family. If I was that person selling at a market, I know what choice I would make. It is not social distancing.

For those concerned about the risk of exposure to the virus, the WHO recommends self-quarantining. This has so far included advice for people not to share bathrooms, living space and even bedrooms, if they can. But what if you live in a house where the bedroom doubles as a kitchen and living space – all shared with your (sometimes extended) family? Such recommendations are even more absurd if your source of water is a community tap or borehole, or if your toilet is one you share with a dozen other families. For many people forced to live on the margins of our societies, this is unfortunately a reality.

Even in the well-to-do parts of many African cities, getting access to water is a challenge. Harare’s taps have been nearly dry for almost 10 years now – and yet we recommend that residents not only self-isolate but also regularly wash their hands.

With coronavirus on our doorsteps, suddenly the importance of access to water is staring all of us in the face. But the governments and the WHO giving advice know only too well the conditions and challenges these communities have always faced.

Struggling health systems

A lot has been said about the health systems of many African countries and how they would struggle to cope with a fast-spreading virus like the coronavirus. Indeed, after many years of conflict, in countries like South Sudan and Somalia, the health system has almost collapsed.

In some countries around the Sahel – Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali – people continue to be displaced by conflict and live in squalid conditions in displaced peoples’ camps. Even in countries not in conflict, like Uganda and Zimbabwe, structural adjustment programmes proffered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have seen a continuous decrease in funding available for healthcare. The Abuja declaration of 2001, requiring each country to set aside at least 15 percent of its national budget for healthcare, is still gathering dust in health authorities’ offices. None of the parties to the declaration has managed to achieve its goals.

It clearly does not require a pandemic to expose the gaps in the health system. If developed systems like in northern Italy can buckle under pressure from COVID-19, one can only imagine the impact this will have on front-line health staff who are without adequate training, protective equipment and even basic drugs.

No one knows how the pandemic will spread across Africa. But we know it is a matter of time. One can not help but wonder if it is not time for African governments, with support from the WHO, to develop recommendations that take all these environmental conditions into account.

Social distancing could probably work in China and in Europe – but in many African countries, it is a privilege only a minority can afford.

The WHO has done well since the onset of the outbreak to provide leadership and access to information about a virus that virtually nothing was known about just several weeks ago. But now, more must be done to reimagine our governance systems, especially because healthcare is intrinsically linked to everything else.

And in Africa – likely the next battlefield for the virus – tackling COVID-19 will need more imagination and alternative solutions from all of us.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Categories
Health Opinion

Coronavirus: Is Magu a Comedian or Ignoramus? By Kings UBA

Coronavirus: Is Magu a Comedian or Ignoramus? By Kings UBA
Coronavirus: Is Magu a Comedian or Ignoramus? By Kings UBA

Coronavirus: Is Magu a Comedian or Ignoramus? By Kings UBA

In the field of theatre performances, one very important tool to sustain entertainment is comic relief. Sometimes, the main plot of stories become lengthy and boredom could be expected. At such point, dramatists deploy comic relief to lighten the mood of the audience.

Playing a role of a comedian, a very intelligent person could cast himself in the light of a foolish or stupid personality. Mr. Bean, with Rowan Atkinson as the title character is a good example. In the popular sitcom, Atkinson, in the real life could be a different person from the Mr. Bean in the movies. What happens is that Atkinson enters into the role of Mr. Bean in order to provide needed entertainment. To this extent, it is understandable when someone assumes the role of an ignoramus.

On the other hand, the real Mr. Bean, whoever he is actually subhuman and irrational in thinking; like the man a story has it that he lost his coin in his dark bedroom and came to his lighted sitting room to look for it.

The other day, Ibrahim Magu, the Acting Chairman of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was reliably reported to have attributed the cause of Coronavirus to corruption.

Magu was addressing Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari at the passing out parade of 281 cadets of the EFCC Detective Inspector Course-5, at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, on Tuesday; he said “Corruption is the biggest strategy to human kind. Your excellency, corruption is worse than all the diseases now running about.

“And I strongly believe, Your Excellency, that even the coronavirus is caused by corruption,” Mr Magu said.

Whatever that was running in the mind of the police officer, for him to have come out openly to say this, is still a mystery.

Coronavirus, officially named COVID-19, broke out in Wuhan in Hubei province of China in December last year.

The disease has infected over 1716 medical workers in China alone and over 73,000 infected persons in 25 countries, causing not less than 1,875 deaths. Majority of the deaths are in Wuhan.

Before human to human transmission of the disease, reports say it originated from human contact with infected animals like birds or bats.

Holding public office is a trust. Individuals who are entrusted with public offices should be ascertained to be in qualified and in their right frames of mind. This is the only way to be assured that the responsibilities of such offices would be properly discharged.

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