despotism disguised
In a first, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held one of its summits via videoconference, on the initiative of Mahamadou Issoufou, the current chair of the West African organisation. On Thursday, 23 April, Niger’s head of state conversed in front of his computer screen with his sub-region counterparts on the topic of developments and impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ MORE: Coronavirus: Nigeria’s travel industry shaky after N180 billion loss from pandemic
The presidents who took part in the call included Benin’s Patrice Talon, Burkina Faso’s Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, Cabo Verde’s Jorge Carlos Fonseca, Côte d’Ivoire’s Alassane Ouattara, Gambia’s Adama Barrow, Ghana’s Nana Akufo-Addo, Guinea’s Alpha Condé, Guinea-Bissau’s Umaro Sissoco Embalo (officially recognised during the summit), Liberia’s George Weah, Mali’s Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari, Senegal’s Macky Sall, Sierra Leone’s Julius Maada Bio and Togo’s Faure Gnassingbé.
A number of West African diplomats also participated in the meeting: Côte d’Ivoire’s Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Chad’s Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) and Ghana’s Mohamed Ibn Chambas, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel.
Economy-centred discussion
Although the heads of state said that they were “deeply concerned” about the spread of COVID-19 in the region (with 158 deaths and more than 6,000 cases as of 22 April), much of their discussion was focused on the “serious threat posed to the regional [economic] integration process.”
LISTEN: The Eco and coronavirus on Francophone Africa
According to the West African organisation, the economic growth rate for the ECOWAS region, initially forecast at 3.3%, is expected to fall to around 2% “if the pandemic were to end in June 2020.”
It could even drop to a negative 2.1% “if the pandemic continues beyond the second half of 2020.”
ECOWAS in favour of stepping up testing
Issoufou and his fellow peers agreed on the need to implement a regional “response plan taking into account the fight against the spread of the pandemic and a post-pandemic economic recovery plan.”
In addition, they decided “to make their contribution to the African Union Solidarity Fund,” while the AU is set to “negotiate with partners for [the] cancellation of [p]ublic debt and [the] restructuring of [the] private debt of African countries.”
The article continues below
Free download
Get your free PDF: The Sahel trap
States under strain
Complete the form for your free download of The Africa Report’s special feature "The Sahel trap". Get your free PDF by completing the following form.
ECOWAS, asserting that it seeks to “increase testing” to limit the pandemic’s impact, appointed Buhari as the organisation’s COVID-19 response “champion”, effectively tasking him with coordinating the response.
The Nigerian president was personally affected by the pandemic when one of his close aides, his chief of staff Abba Kyari, died of the disease on 17 April.
READ MORE: Nigeria’s health and economic crisis: Buhari left to face it without Abba Kyari
Lastly, Buhari and his West African peers committed to allocating “at least 15% of their annual budget to strengthen their health care systems.”
This promise was made for the first time in 2014 during one of the organisation’s less digital summits in Accra, Ghana.
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.
View subscription options