President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the COVID-19 pandemic as a health, humanitarian, social and economic crisis, which African countries are responding to collectively.<\/p>\n
\u201cCOVID-19 has affected all the countries on the continent. To date, there are more than 3.5 million confirmed cases in Africa, and more than 88 000 people have died. It has been a health, humanitarian, social and economic crisis for African countries, most of whom are inadequately resourced to manage a health emergency of this size,\u201d said the President in his weekly newsletter.<\/p>\n
In the letter on Monday, the President reflected on South Africa\u2019s term as Chair of the African Union (AU), which comes to end later this week.<\/p>\n
South Africa assumed Chairship of the AU in the same month that the first case of COVID-19 was reported on the African continent.<\/p>\n
Collective response<\/strong><\/p>\n The President said African countries have come together to fight the pandemic, drawn principally on the continent\u2019s own expertise, capabilities and institutions such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The AU realised that every country on the continent would be severely affected by the pandemic, and that most would not have the resources needed to meet the public health challenge or to protect their economies.<\/p>\n \u201cWe therefore agreed as African countries to appoint several prominent Africans as special envoys, who would engage with international funders and multilateral institutions to make the case for financial support and debt relief on Africa\u2019s behalf.\u201d<\/p>\n The continent was able to achieve debt relief for many countries and financial assistance towards the COVID-19 response and economic recovery. Vaccine rollout<\/strong><\/p>\n The President said with the COVID-19 vaccine now available, the AU has worked to ensure that the continent gets its fair share, working with the COVAX Facility and led by the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team.<\/p>\n “Vaccine rollout has already commenced on the continent and we aspire to have the majority of the continent\u2019s population vaccinated by the end of 2021 to achieve herd immunity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n President Ramaphosa said protecting the health and livelihoods of people on the continent has been a priority.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have acted as one to protect health, people and livelihoods on the continent. In doing so, we have demonstrated our capacity for self-reliance and our ability to be the drivers of our own development.<\/p>\n “Despite the dominance of COVID-19, we have still managed to make advances in several of our key priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n Key priorities<\/strong><\/p>\n During South Africa\u2019s term as AU Chair, the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was finally launched, heralding a new era of intra-African trade and economic integration. In addition, the AU has been actively involved in negotiations around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, achieving a ceasefire in Libya and promoting peace in South Sudan. As South Africa hands over the baton to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), \u201cwe leave this preeminent continental body in a position of greater strength\u201d.<\/p>\n The President said South Africa will contine to play its part to foster integration on the continent, and support the incoming Chair and the AU in its efforts to meet the aspirations of Agenda 2063. – SAnews.gov.za<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the COVID-19 pandemic as a health, humanitarian, social and economic crisis, which African countries are responding to collectively. \u201cCOVID-19 has affected all the countries on the continent. To date, there are more than 3.5 million confirmed cases in Africa, and more than 88 000 people have died. 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\u201cAfrica did not sit by passively as the true extent and danger of the pandemic unfurled. From the earliest days of the pandemic and led by the AU, we swiftly developed a continental response strategy, driven by the Africa CDC and regional task forces,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut much as African countries went to the international community for support, we first helped ourselves \u2013 establishing and capitalising a continental COVID-19 Response Fund.
“For every partnership forged with better-resourced nations and the international donor community, we set up our own innovative and ground-breaking African Medical Supplies Platform to enable all African countries to quickly secure personal protective equipment and other medical supplies in an equitable, affordable manner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even under the difficult conditions posed by the pandemic, the continent has pushed ahead with towards the goal of \u2018silencing the guns\u2019 on the continent.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother focus of our term has been on the economic empowerment of women, which we will continue to champion even beyond our term and throughout the Decade of African Women\u2019s Financial and Economic Inclusion to 2030,\u201d said President Ramaphosa.<\/p>\n