The new normal: life after the lock-down for businesses

The rapid changes brought by COVID19 call for adapting to a new way of life as economies gradually reopen. This means wearing a mask in public, social distancing and no more handshakes. Indeed, individuals, ..... Read More

Rethinking support for home-based farming to meet nutritional requirements

The ongoing directives to contain the spread of COVID-19 such as social distancing, stay at home and travel restrictions could affect availability of diversified, safe and nutritious food. However, it also provides an opportunity for people to engage in home-based ..... Read More

Relaxing travel restrictions and quarantine measures in Africa

Barring any further lockdowns, African countries are gradually opening up their airspace as some airlines across the world are returning to the skies. Most of Africa’s 54 countries had closed their airspace to contain the spread of COVID-19. ..... Read More

Raising COVID-19 awareness along the food supply chain

Food supply chain actors are essential to food security in Africa where the majority of the population depend on food supply chains for survival. Food supply actors, especially the farmers, make up a ..... Read More

Protect health professional - a continuous priority amid COVID-19

The COVID-19 is progressing across the continent. African governments are taking measures to contain the pandemic and mitigate its direct and indirect effects. However, they have to put additional efforts to support the health professionals who are on the frontline to combat the COVID-19  ..... Read More

Coping with uncertainty, stress, fear, and worry

One of the biggest challenges during this COVID-19 time is the degree of uncertainty; uncertainty about health issues and about social and economic conditions. No one knows in ..... Read More

Attend to People with Disabilities (PWDs)

Within the vast majority of low-income or poor people, we find large minority groups of People with Disabilities (PWDs). Disability is a condition which limits the movement or activities of a person. It includes immobility, blindness, low vision, hearing impairment, muteness, mental retardation and mental illness. In many cases, People with ..... Read More

Africa: Let Us Stitch Our Own Garment - A New Normal

Kigali — The uncontested prevalence of COVID-19, which has seemingly preoccupied all news and opinions, is unparalleled. In capturing all of our attention, it should also be compelling us to reexamine the premises that have led us to this point. We have the capacity to prevent this sort of catastrophe, and we should..... Read More

East Africa: Desert Locusts - Another Disaster Looms as Second Wave Arrives

While the overwhelming uncertainties and apprehensions caused by COVID-19 permeate the whole African continent, countries in eastern African are preparing for yet another disaster - the second wave of desert locusts.  This is on top of other endemics such as yellow fever and cholera that these countries are currently facing and are engaged in combating....Read More

Reliable and timely data for decision making to cope with the pandemic

Without reliable data on COVID-19, we cannot possibly understand the magnitude of the pandemic and respond appropriately to the threat, nor assess the impact of measures against the pandemic, neither as individuals nor as a society ... Read More

Addressing COVID-19 Impact on the Resilience of Financial Service Providers in Africa.

The COVID-19 pandemic is posing significant challenges to economic activity in different sectors in Africa. The deteriorating global economic conditions coupled with lockdown imposed by the national governments to contain the spread of the epidemic is ... Read More

Africa: The Pandemic Power and World Disorder - A Threat to Partnerships

Kigali — Humanity has experienced disasters of all types, since immemorial, from earthquake to Tsunamis, wildfire to drought and famine, slavery to genocide. Even in modern days, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 6,1945) and other nuclear meltdowns caused problems beyond the initial threat and leaving an unforgettable scar in our history ... Read More

FEEM and SDGC/A release a series of educational videos on COVID19 prevention

The Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) in collaboration with The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) have produced a series of educational short videos on COVID19 prevention and response ...Read More

Africa: COVID-19 Impact - What Should African Countries Do?

Kigali — Everything feels different. No one in their right minds could have imagined the level of stillness we see today, in every aspect, a mere few weeks ago.This all happened at an unprecedented speed ...Read More

A shift to virtual world: an experience worth archiving

The novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, has brought forth unprecedented challenges to humanity across the world regardless of the level of economic development. In the absence of a vaccine or medicine, the only measure that has been deemed ...Read More

COVID19 Impact: What Should African Countries Do?

Everything feels different. No one in their right minds could have imagined the level of stillness we see today, in every aspect, a mere few weeks ago. Everything happened at an unprecedented speed, level, and scale; which makes synthesis of this experience, which is seemingly even grander than historical pandemics, all the more difficult ...Read More

Can Africa survive the Plague? Have we over reacted?

Hoping humanity will survive once again, despite the unimaginable wind-whirl (angry tempest of nature) as it did many others in the past.
Obviously, this Coronavirus (CoVId19) is a wide-world nature challenge, that affects everybody, without discrimination of race, sex or social status. ...Read More

Invest in preventive and curative treatment of coronavirus right now
22 April, 2020

The world has recorded over 2000,000 cases of coronavirus and about 140,000 deaths and we still do not know when this pandemic will end and what the extent of the damage it would have caused in the end. This pandemic poses a huge threat to our humanity in terms of ...Read More

Financing resilient and renovated health system post COVID-19
21 April, 2020

In many African countries, the health indicators are very low. The challenges are numerous: shortage of human resources; poorly-equipped health facilities and inaccessible to a majority of poor; shortage of ...Read More

Supporting SMEs affected by COVID-19
20 April, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is badly hurting the SMEs sector in Africa, which constitutes the majority of the business and an important driver of growth. Market demand is down; businesses have curtailed ...Read More

Mitigating the effects of COVID-19 on access to markets and regional food supply
17 April, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic takes clasp in Africa, several countries have begun to tighten borders, restrict gatherings and movements of people. While restrictions are essential to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), a paramount concern is continuity of food supply chain activities ...Read More

Be conservative on covid-19 incubation period
16 April, 2020

Understanding the incubation period is very important for health authorities, as well as citizens, because it allows them to introduce more effective quarantine systems for people suspected of carrying the virus, as a way of controlling and hopefully preventing the spread of the virus ...Read More

Internet access to better combat COVID-19 epidemic
15 April, 2020

The Internet has become an indispensable tool for communication and information in the advent of the coronavirus pandemic. The subsequent lockdowns and stay at home measures mean that connectivity to the internet is ...Read More

Stay home, Stay Safe, Solidify Family Ties
13 April, 2020

In the light of COVID-19 pandemic, different measures to reduce its spread have been put in place by competent authorities. One of these is the “stay home order” that is being widely applied. This directive poses a lot of challenges for ...Read More

Proactive measures on incidents of violence against women (VAW) amidst COVID-19
10 April, 2020

Current data indicate that almost 18 per cent of women and girls aged 15 to 49 years who have ever been in a relationship have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in the previous 12 months (UN WOMEN, 2020)...Read More

Improve Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Health Care Facilities
9 April, 2020

The spread of the coronavirus in Africa is gaining momentum, with some few weeks away from reaching overwhelming levels. The big concern is the fragile health system of most of the countries with low levels of human...Read More

Supporting the vulnerable groups during COVID-19 epidemic

Following the global prevention advice to control the spread of coronavirus, many African countries have been imposing lockdowns on their citizens, recommending and applying social distancing and isolation of those suspected to be affected by the virus ... Read More

Strained African health systems: taking the mitigation measures right now

Some figures of people at risk of severe or critical conditions of coronavirus show that at least 39 million African (65 years old and plus) are at risk; at least 19 million African (between 20-79 years old) are diabetics; and 25.7 million people living with HIV in Africa...Read More

Coordinated ring- fenced Social Protection a MUST

Data on the effective coverage of social protection by groups of population (SDG indicator 1.3.1) for the latest available year reveals that Africa trails the other regions, with only 18% receiving at least one cash social protection benefit compared to Europe and Central Asia (84%), the Americas (68%) and Asia pacific region (37%). ... Read More

Fiscal stimulus remedy needs debt relief/restructuring for africa

The recent COVID19 pandemic brings a new dimension and has heightened fiscal vulnerabilities attributed to external factors including falling commodity prices that have weakened fiscal revenues and growth. ... Read More

Travel restrictions imperative to combat the Coronavirus
45 out of 54 countries in Africa have declared infections with the coronavirus. The available evidence overwhelming shows that most of the declared cases in Africa are from imported sources. ... Read More

Rethink utility bills collection
Social/Physical distancing has a positive impact on controlling the spread of coronavirus. That is why Rwanda and South Africa have declared a nationwide lockdown. Countervailing to this effort, some water and electricity utilities in Africa are violating social/physical distancing measures ... Read More

Urgent need for an Emergency Fund from International Community
It is near certainty that if COVID19 is not contained in the short run, Africa will, on average, endure negative GDP growth per capita. The growth rate is expected to decline by 2-3%, arising from cumulative impact on the demand and supply factors in the different areas of labour markets ... Read More

Financial Services Providers Interventions to mitigate the Impact of COVID-19
Financial service providers can play a critical role in mitigating the negative impact of COVID-19 and contribute to stabilizing of the economy. The SDGC/A has prepared this communiqué on how financial service providers can mitigate the impact of the epidemic with supportive policy measures introduced by central banks. ...Read More

Facilitate immediate access to water in low-income communities
The World Health Organization (WHO) is advising the public continually to practice frequent handwashing to control the spread of the coronavirus. The people in the slums and peri-urban areas of Africa are getting water through a shared or communal water supply system ... Read More

Minimize food supply disruptions to the extent possible
Although COVID-19 is a health pandemic, its effects can lead to other issues including a food security crisis if no proper measures are taken. Africa’s economy is highly dependent on agriculture with about two thirds of the population involved in small holder farming activities ... Read More

Lock Down Now, Don’t Waste Time!

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Coronavirus as a pandemic. The infections are now increasing at an exponential rate as shown by the figure below (developed by the Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC)), which compares the situation in Africa and that in Europe.... Read More