Publications /
Policy Brief

Back
Africa is Preparing for the Worst Against Coronavirus
Authors
April 7, 2020

While the world has been facing one of the most serious health crises of the century in recent months, Africa seems to have been spared so far. The African countries have announced only very few cases, about ten for some and none for others. However, as time goes by, Africa is facing an increasing number of cases, first exported from Europe and America and then resulting in local contamination. This is not the only health crisis Africa has faced in recent years. The Ebola health crisis, which caused tens of thousands of deaths, has, on the other hand, provided these countries with experience in crisis management. This explains, in part, the severe measures taken when only a few cases have been reported by a large majority of countries. Decision-makers are not only motivated by experience, but are also aware that they would be outweighed by coronavirus if it were to spread as it has done in Europe. In Africa, where the political situation in some countries is tense, a health crisis of this magnitude and the way it will be managed by decision-makers could reshape their relationship with the population.

RELATED CONTENT

  • December 14, 2018
    AD TALK: MEDITERRANEAN AND NORTH AFRICAN DIMENSIONS OF THE ATLANTIC DYNAMICS Moderator Jeff Koinange, Senior Anchor, Citizen Television Speakers Amre Moussa, Former Secretary-General of the Arab League, Egypt Miguel Angel Moratinos, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain PLENARY IV: ...
  • December 14, 2018
    AD TALK: MEDITERRANEAN AND NORTH AFRICAN DIMENSIONS OF THE ATLANTIC DYNAMICS Moderator Jeff Koinange, Senior Anchor, Citizen Television Speakers Amre Moussa, Former Secretary-General of the Arab League, Egypt Miguel Angel Moratinos, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain PLENARY IV: ...
  • Authors
    November 25, 2018
    Lors du Forum Russie-Afrique, tenu récemment à Moscou, le ministre russe des Affaires étrangères, Sergey Lavrov, a souligné que les relations entre son pays et ses partenaires africains ne seront pas “impactées par des facteurs extérieurs”. Venant du chef de la diplomatie russe depuis  2004, la formule peut paraître courte mais, à demi-mot, elle est porteuse de la détermination de Moscou de renforcer sa présence en Afrique, surtout que le forum de Moscou s’est tenu en préparat ...
  • Authors
    November 5, 2018
    Scholars of social movements and global protest have long neglected social movements in Africa, ostensibly because African societies are too rural, too tradition- or ethnicity-bound, or lacking advanced class formations. Those who have broached the topic tend to focus on South Africa’s labor movement and anti-apartheid struggle. Even less addressed is how social movements in various parts of the continent have affected each other. A continent-wide approach however shows that protest ...