Covid-19: What can the world learn from Africa?

The continent is not vulnerable.

According to DW, the global coronavirus crisis is now paralyzing major urban centers across Africa. For example, in Johannesburg, South Africa's economic capital, the military has been deployed to monitor the enforcement of curfews. Meanwhile, in Uganda's equally vibrant capital, Kampala, markets and shops remain closed. Only a few boda boda (hybrid motorcycles) occasionally traverse the streets. These motorcycles are no longer permitted to carry passengers, but instead are being used for delivery services and errands during the pandemic. Life is also slowing down in other cities across the continent. For any sense of "normal" to return, the Covid-19 pandemic must be contained as soon as possible.

Life in Uganda's capital, Kampala, has changed significantly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: AFP

According to Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, Deputy Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), this is precisely where some African countries can have an advantage. The health expert praised the swift and timely action of governments across the continent: “This is a lesson we learned from the 2014 Ebola crisis in Africa. We intervened quickly, using proven resources, knowledge, and social partnerships within communities…”. In a recent online discussion on “Covid-19 – First Lessons from Africa,” Mr. Ouma emphasized that this has contributed to keeping infection rates in Africa low to date.

Despite these initial successes, the World Health Organization (WHO) still warns that Africa could be more affected by Covid-19 than other regions of the world. However, objectively speaking, the continent is not a helpless victim, easily vulnerable to the pandemic as many mistakenly believe. Robert Kappel, emeritus professor at the Institute for African Studies at Leipzig University, shares this view: “We learned a lesson. Furthermore, in our understanding of Africa, it is not a continent of pandemics, health and economic crises. Africa is a continent that takes control of its own situation, in very different ways.”

For Gavin Churchyard, president of the Aurum Institute, a healthcare institution in South Africa, social distancing and infection control, which proved highly effective during the Covid-19 pandemic, are not new concepts to the African population. This stems from the long-term fight against tuberculosis in the region. Even with minor modifications, existing educational materials on tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS can be repurposed in the current fight against Covid-19. Churchyard asserts: “Unlike some industrialized nations, African countries have chosen scientifically sound solutions. We have witnessed leadership emerging in African nations unlike anywhere else.”

Medical volunteers in Lagos, Nigeria, help distribute food to people on the streets. Photo: Reuters

Identifying opportunities in challenges

Discussing the local commitment to small and medium-sized innovative companies, Professor Kappel offered glowing praise. He argued that these businesses have become crucial players in the production of medical products, such as face masks and disinfectants. “There is also much to learn from placing trust in local intelligence, something always evident in African countries,” Kappel said. And indeed, many startups receive some support from the government, which encourages them to play a vital role in providing medical supplies to the population.

Africa's successful fight against Ebola and other infectious diseases shows that the issue isn't always about receiving large amounts of international aid or huge sums of cash. Of course, these are undeniably essential in the event of a surge in infections and a crisis spiraling out of control. So far, it seems that in the initial stages of the Covid-19 crisis, local communities, civil society organizations, and village leaders across the continent have worked to limit the spread. Another advantage is that the virus arrived in Africa relatively late compared to other places, giving the continent more time to prepare for a better response.

Senegal is pioneering simple and economical solutions such as 3D printing for face masks. Photo: Getty

The fact that Africa is not a hopeless continent was recently highlighted in two open letters from scholars from the continent, including well-known figures such as Senegalese writer and composer Felwine Sarr, Cameroonian political scientist Achille Mbembe, and Nigerian Nobel Literature laureate Wole Soyinka. In these letters, they urged Africa to deliver “a fundamental, strong, and sustainable response to a real threat that should not be exaggerated or downplayed, but addressed rationally.” They called on governments to seize the current opportunity to become stronger and emerge from the crisis. To achieve this, perhaps the prerequisites are a transformation of healthcare systems, the promotion of local processing industries for raw materials, and, most importantly, economic diversification.