He had a front row seat as the administration battled the virus; and has important messages for policy-makers in Africa as they confront the coronavirus pandemic.
Here W. Gyude Moore’s top 5 recommendations to policymakers in Africa today:
- “It starts off as a health crisis, but it is always going to become a governance crisis”. Ensuring that the connections between the centre and provincial governments work is key, as “the state will get tested”.
- Trust is essential. “A government where there is no trust between the people and the government will suffer, because you require the collaboration of the people to [fight the pandemic].” Using trusted messagers like traditional leaders, pop stars or religious leaders was vital for Liberia to help transmit key messages around hand washing and social distancing.
- Testing is vital. Even for states with limited resources, “you have to invest upfront in testing”, and reach out to partners who can assist.
- In places where healthcare systems are fragile, you must select a site, be it an existing hospital or tent hospitals that can be built, so that as soon as anyone reports symptoms related to the virus, they go directly to specialised clinics. “You want to separate the incident response from the regular healthcare facilities”.
- Isolation must be the top priority to break the transmission chain. Straightforward though it might be, implementation is key. “People get tired of behaviour change, tired of social distancing, so it is incumbent on the state and authorities to enforce it.”
READ MORE Coronavirus: “It would be suicidal for Africa not to learn the lessons from Europe.”
Moore is now a visiting fellow at the Centre for Global Development in Washington D.C.
———
Talking Africa on Spreaker
Talking Africa on Soundcloud
Talking Africa on YouTube
Talking Africa on Apple podcast
Talking Africa on Stitcher
Talking Africa on Spotify
And our RSS feed
Understand Africa's tomorrow... today
We believe that Africa is poorly represented, and badly under-estimated. Beyond the vast opportunity manifest in African markets, we highlight people who make a difference; leaders turning the tide, youth driving change, and an indefatigable business community. That is what we believe will change the continent, and that is what we report on. With hard-hitting investigations, innovative analysis and deep dives into countries and sectors, The Africa Report delivers the insight you need.
