African Voices: Reporting and Analysis

‘No Mask, No Lessons’: COVID-19’s Impact on Access to Education in Rural Malawi

“I personally see children being turned back from school because they have no masks on a daily basis. This is a big stumbling block to their education.”

via COVID-19 Africa Watch

Kenya’s Frontline Health Workers Are Dying From COVID-19

Hundreds of health workers in Kenya have contracted COVID-19 during the pandemic, and 31 have died from the virus. Health workers are now asking for more protections, and a major trade union is preparing a strike.

via COVID-19 Africa Watch

What the Major COVID-19 Vaccine Announcements Mean for Nigeria

“Access is only the first challenge that will need to be addressed for widespread vaccination against COVID-19 in Nigeria. There are also concerns about the state of cold chain infrastructure and perceptions of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine among the population.”

via COVID-19 Africa Watch

COVID-19 in South Africa: The Outsized Impact on Women in the Informal Economy

“What we have seen in relation to COVID-19 is an amplification of existing fault lines of inequality, particularly in respect of gender.”

via COVID-19 Africa Watch

COVID-19 Stings: How COVID-19 Has Further Impoverished Poor Nigerians

This photo-essay from Nigerian photographer Femi Amogunla features portraits of seven individuals impacted by COVID-19 in Oyo State, Nigeria.

via COVID-19 Africa Watch

Building Back a Better Africa: Intergenerational Co-leadership and the African Youth Front on Coronavirus

“Many countries are now starting to lift the lockdowns and relax the earlier stringent movement restrictions. The African Youth Front on Coronavirus believes that this is the best period to address the issues which were revealed as a result of the pandemic.”

via COVID-19 Africa Watch

Best Practices from Africa: Collaboration in the Time of COVID-19

“Our vision is that this innovative Africa Medical Supplies Platform initiative will help enable African governments to urgently access much needed life-saving supplies. In the process, we all have drawn upon best practices and difficult lessons learned so far across the world.”

via COVID-19 Africa Watch

The COVID-19 crisis: A key moment to strengthen transparency and accountability in Guinea

Malado Kaba, the former Minister of Economy & Finance of Guinea, writes, “I also believe this crisis is an opportunity, a decision point, a key moment for my country and others to strengthen transparency and accountability.”

via COVID-19 Africa Watch

Capital Raising during COVID-19: Perspectives and Developments from the Botswana Stock Exchange

On 5 June, 2020, the Botswana Stock Exchange held its inaugural virtual opening bell facilitated, becoming one of the few stock exchanges in Africa to do so during this pandemic. This piece examines the BSE’s COVID-19 response and reactions from market stakeholders.

via COVID-19 Africa Watch

COVID-19’s Impact in Kenya: Reflections from Joy Doreen Biira

Kenya-based journalist, Joy Doreen Biira shares her thoughts on COVID-19’s impacts in the Kibra slum in Nairobi, the community response, and what the priorities for a ‘new normal’ should be.

via COVID-19 Africa Watch