Africa’s Response to COVID-19 : what roles for trade, manufacturing and intellectual property?

Abstract

COVID-19 is taking its toll on Africa. This note discusses how policies on trade, manufacturing and intellectual property can speed up Africa’s response, focusing on enabling access to medical devices and drugs in four critical areas: testing, protecting, treating and curing (TPTC). For each area, the note provides a snapshot of the global situation, a zoom on trends in Africa, and examples of solutions implemented by the public and the private sectors. The note identifies five priority actions for Africa to respond effectively to COVID-19 and accelerate structural transformation and development across the continent.