100 Days of COVID-19 in Africa: what We’ve Learned and What’s Ahead

Abstract

The first case of COVID-19 in Africa was confirmed in Egypt on February 14, 2020. Since then, 100 days have passed. 100 days after COVID-19’s arrival on the continent, the future remains unclear. As noted above, the experts we spoke to believed Africa’s initial response to the crisis was aided by the decisive action of policymakers, pan-African institutions, scientists, business leaders, and ordinary citizens. They also emphasized the nature of the recovery will rely on ongoing levelheadedness and solidarity across all segments of African society. The legal scholar Ayo Sogunro reached a similar conclusion. “The most significant governance outcome of this pandemic,” he told us, “is its exposure of the weakness and unsuitability of existing models of governance in several African countries for the modern world and the modern political economy. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa are still run on highly centralized ‘strong man’ systems that are inadequate for the kind of local-level efficiency needed to manage a pandemic.”