‘What if some African governments are doing a better job than our own of managing the coronavirus?’
COVID-19 has gripped the world, shaken the multilateral system and caused widespread uncertainty. One thing is clear though: there is no going back so we must adapt to our new normal, and key to this will be developing new forms of cooperation between countries and communities around the globe.
This will require adapting to the different patterns of the pandemic, and its recovery, across the globe. Even with budget constraints, the early signs from Africa are that in many countries the response has been effective and, in some places, also well-coordinated – in no small part due lessons learnt from recent disease outbreaks, including Ebola. African countries were also able to learn from how the pandemic unfolded across the world from China to Italy and through Europe. Contrary to commonplace narratives about aiding Africa, recent events highlight opportunities for Europe to learn from Africa.
Beyond the immediate response to the pandemic, African countries will face considerable challenges in the recovery, with an urgent need to finance weakened economies and to adapt existing approaches to trade, labour markets, social protection measures, transport and other infrastructures. This will require new and enhanced forms of collaboration between Africa, Europe and beyond, as well as new approaches to delivering on the many commitments being made.
Chair
Marta Foresti @martaforesti – Director, ODI Europe
Speakers
Carlos Lopes – High Representative on AU-EU to the Chairperson of the AUC
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr – Mayor of Freetown
Nicholas Westcott – Director Royal African Society
David Pilling – Africa Editor, Financial Times
Register to watch online here.
This event is organised within the ETTG framework activities and is also the first in a series of engagement ahead of the upcoming European Union-African Union Summit and is also part of the ODI at 60 global reset dialogue series, challenging decision-makers to provide more sustainable and equitable pathways for the future.
