Africa’s Road to Recovery in 2021 is a Fresh Start

7 Jan 2021 11:21 AM

EXPERT COMMENT

The continent now has a chance to reshape its relations with the global economy to create greater pan-African prosperity and resilience for future generations.

The year 2020 will of course be remembered for the COVID-19 pandemic, but many African countries have handled the public health effects of the first wave well compared with neighbouring continents, with some 55,000 related deaths and two million recovered out of a population of just over one billion.

This can be credited to quick action and leadership by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and others, assisted by public support and a youthful population with about only three per cent aged over 65 and relatively few institutionalized homes for the elderly.

Climate, prior exposure to other coronavirus strains, and effective community health networks set up in response to contain previous epidemics such as Ebola also clearly played a role.

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