Africa set to wage united pandemic fight

In the face of climbing numbers of infections, African leaders are reinforcing their commitment to continentwide measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

As part of the unified continental response to the pandemic, Cyril Ramaphosa, the chairman of the African Union and president of South Africa, launched the Africa Medical Supplies Platform in April.

The platform is an online marketplace that facilitates the supply of coronavirus-related critical medical equipment and supplies to countries across the continent.

The platform provides access to an African and global database of vetted manufacturers and procurement partners, enabling members of the bloc to purchase certified medical equipment, such as diagnostic kits, personal protective equipment and clinical management devices-all at better prices and with greater transparency.

Officials behind the initiative say the platform serves as "an interface that enables volume aggregation, quota management and payment facilitation, as well as logistics and transportation", to ensure equitable and efficient access to critical supplies for African governments.

The African Export-Import Bank facilitates payments while logistics partners, including African national airlines and global freight forwarders, expedite the delivery of supplies.

Strive Masiyiwa, the African Union special envoy, said officials are now getting requests from other parts of the world to license the concept behind the platform.

"Africa is leading the way with this online solution to ensure all of our governments get access to personal protective equipment and other urgent medical supplies they need, at fair prices," Masiyiwa said.

John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC, said the organization is committed to providing market intelligence on where the manufacturers are, facilitating pooled procurement when financial resources are made available through the initiative, and distributing the products to the buyers throughout Africa.

Proactive way to respond

Benedict Oramah, president of the African Export-Import Bank, said the initiative is important because the increasingly difficult global trade and financing environment would not only limit the potential of African countries to procure essential supplies, but could also limit their ability to scale up their production capacities.

"Our joint initiative with the Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union, through Africa CDC, is a proactive way to respond to the pandemic more effectively," he said.

Vera Songwe, the executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, said the organization is engaging with private-sector stakeholders and governments to adopt policies to bolster the production and supply chain for the critical medical resources required in Africa's fight against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, with the support of the commission, the continent is set to roll out a mobile platform that will provide more than 600 million users across the continent with the latest public health advice.

The Africa Communications Information Platform also will furnish national and regional coronavirus task forces with user-generated survey data, while providing health and economic insights.

Officials behind the project say that by improving national data, the platform will enable authorities to better analyze pandemic-related problems and implement appropriate responses. It also will allow coronavirus task forces to deploy health and economic resources to mitigate the pandemic's impact.

The platform will be launched at an online event hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa on Tuesday afternoon.

Separately, to address financing challenges, the Pan-African Parliament on Thursday urged its members to ensure that African Union member states allocate adequate funding to cater for healthcare systems when budgets are submitted to parliaments for consideration.

By Monday afternoon, the number of coronavirus infections across Africa reached 306,567, with 8,115 deaths, according to the Africa CDC.