April 4, 2020 (Nyamilepedia) — The African Union (AU) has urged the continent to exercise collective leadership to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. This comes during a teleconference chaired by the chairperson of the AU and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.
The summit which was conducted on Friday underscored the importance of collective leadership to circumvent the adverse effects of the COVID19 crisis and discussed the need for Africa to stand together, speak with one voice and work through African institutions to mobilize resources and harmonize the support from international partners.
“A coordinated African approach is critical as the continent pursues economic responses with global partners,” H.E. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tweeted stating his stand during the conference.
Rwandan President Kagame extended his appreciation to the initiatives taken by African institutions such as the African Development Bank Group and the Trade Finance Bank for Africa for their support in fighting COVID-19 scourge.
Senegalese leader Macky Sall, said in a tweet thay the meeting, “took stock of the impact of the pandemic COVID-19 in all its aspects, and defined a common African position for the response to the pandemic, both at the continental level and in relation to bilateral and multilateral partners.”
According to a statement issued today, the Heads of States and Government strongly urged for the immediate lifting of all economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and Sudan to allow them to adequately respond to the pandemic and save lives.
‘’Given the urgent need for medical supplies and equipment,’’ the statement reads: ‘’the Heads of states called for international cooperation and support while up-scaling local production on the continent.’’
The Heads of States and Government thanked President Emmanuel Macron for his strong support for Africa during the Extraordinary G20 Summit and appreciated the exemplary leadership of Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros in leading the global response to the pandemic, the statement added.
The leaders noted with satisfaction the progress on the African Fund for COVID19 Response, established on 26 March to which they pledged US$12.5million and an additional US$4.5 million to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The meeting was attended by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, current president of the AU, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi, president of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdelfattah Elsisi and Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat.
President of France, H.E. Emmanuel Macron and Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC also attended the summit.
