COVID-19 Africa Watch Interview Series
The COVID-19 Africa Watch Interview Series showcases the voices of African change agents, policymakers, and entrepreneurs, focusing on how the pandemic is affecting African countries and the priorities for the post-pandemic recovery. Over the course of the last year, we have spoken to Dr. Vera Songwe, Lionel Zinsou, Strive Masiyiwa, Malado Kaba, Sir Paul Collier, Dr. Youssef Boutros-Ghali, Gayle Smith, Aya Chebbi, and many others.
To see all of our interviews, see the full archive below.
Featured Interviews
COVID-19 Africa Watch talks with Scott Morris, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development, about the recent landmark report How China Lends, the first systematic analysis of the legal terms of China’s foreign lending.
Malado Kaba, former Minister of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Guinea, speaks to COVID-19 Africa Watch about the potential for digital disruption in government and public service in the wake of the current pandemic. The interview is also available in French.
COVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Dr. Youssef Boutros-Ghali, former Finance Minister of Egypt and former chairman of the IMF’s International Monetary and Financial Committee, about the economic impact of the pandemic, the policy response, SDRs, and more.
COVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Vivian Nwakah, Founder and CEO of Medsaf, about addressing the inefficiencies and inequalities in African healthcare systems.
State Minister Yasmin Wohabrebbi: Ethiopia’s Prospects and Priorities for Economic Recovery
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series Ethiopia COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to State Minister Yasmin Wohabrebbi about the policy response to the pandemic, the efforts to develop the digital economy, and the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI).
Scott Morris: ‘How China Lends’ and the Implications for Africa’s Economic Recovery
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series Angola / Zambia COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staff“Better disclosure of the terms of the contracts themselves would certainly be better practice going forward, and in times of stress, it can facilitate quicker and easier engagement with the key multilateral actors.”
Chinelo Anohu: What the Future Holds for Attracting Investment to Africa
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Senior Director of the Africa Investment Forum, Chinelo Anohu, about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the AIF’s approach and the overall investment landscape across the continent.
Dr. Dennis Carroll: How Can We Prevent the Next Pandemic?
Analysis and Opinion / Interview Series / Milken Institute Analysis COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staff“The viruses that we do know are only those that have already caused great harm, but we know that that’s less than 1 percent of all the viruses that have that same potential. Those viruses are currently circulating in wildlife today. The next pandemic, the next epidemic virus already exists.”
Esther Krofah: Vaccines, Variants, and Lessons for the Next Pandemic
Analysis and Opinion / Interview Series / Milken Institute Analysis COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffEsther Krofah, executive director of FasterCures, talks to COVID-19 Africa Watch about the public health lessons learned so far from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gagan Gupta: Mobilizing Infrastructure and Supply Chains to Enhance Trade and Investment in Africa
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Gagan Gupta, co-founder of Arise IIP, Arise IS and Arise P&L, about COVID-19’s impacts on trade trends in Africa and the infrastructure priorities for accelerating the economic recovery.
Sir Paul Collier: Rethinking Roles and Responsibilities for Africa’s Economic Recovery
Analysis and Opinion / Interview Series / Milken Institute Analysis Angola / Ethiopia / Ghana / Rwanda / Senegal COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffOxford Professor, Sir Paul Collier, discusses the macroeconomic shocks suffered by African economies and the approach needed to accelerate the recovery.
Interview with Dr. Samira Asma: Using Data for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
Analysis and Opinion / Interview Series COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Dr. Samira Asma, WHO Assistant Director-General for Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact about the importance of data in preparing for and responding to health crises.
Frank Aswani: Strengthening Africa’s Social Investment Ecosystem to Help Tackle COVID-19
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series Kenya / Nigeria / Rwanda / Senegal / South Africa / Tunisia COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Dr. Frank Aswani about ways to bolster Africa’s social investment ecosystem to help the continent’s economic recovery from the pandemic.
Interview: Yawa Hansen-Quao on Strengthening Public Service and Civil Society to Build Back Better
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series Ghana COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffYawa Hansen-Quao, Executive Director of Emerging Public Leaders, discusses the importance of strengthening Africa’s public service and of increasing intra-African collaboration for a stronger post-pandemic recovery.
Vivian Nwakah: Advancing Equitable Access to Safer Medication in Africa
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series Nigeria COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Vivian Nwakah, Founder and CEO of Medsaf, about addressing the inefficiencies and inequalities in African healthcare systems.
Managing COVID-19’s Impact on Africa’s Sovereign Debt: An Interview with Danny Leipziger
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Analysis and Opinion / Interview Series Angola / Nigeria / South Africa / Zambia COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Danny Leipziger, Professor of International Business at the George Washington University, about debt and debt relief amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Interview with Ladé Araba: Using Blended Finance to Tackle COVID-19 and Build Back Better
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffLadé Araba, Managing Director for Africa at Convergence, talks to COVID-19 Africa Watch about blended finance’s potential role in building back after the pandemic, the core policy priorities, and her views on leadership.
Interview with Julie Gichuru: Building Community Resilience and Leveraging Storytelling to Tackle COVID-19
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series Kenya / Rwanda COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Julie Gichuru about the Mastercard Foundation’s response to COVID-19 in Africa.
COVID-19’s Impact on the Agri-Sharing Economy in Africa: An Interview with Hello Tractor’s Folu Okunade
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series Kenya / Nigeria COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Folu Okunade, Chief Strategy Officer & Chief Operating Officer, Hello Tractor, about the pandemic’s impacts on small-scale farming and the burgeoning ‘agri-sharing’ economy in Africa.
Interview: Dr. Youssef Boutros-Ghali on COVID-19, Debt Sustainability, and Macroeconomic Policy in Africa
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series Egypt / Zambia COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Dr. Youssef Boutros-Ghali, former Finance Minister of Egypt and former chairman of the IMF’s International Monetary and Financial Committee, about the economic impact of the pandemic, the policy response, SDRs, and more.
Interview with Gayle Smith: Building Global Leadership for an Inclusive COVID-19 Recovery
Analysis and Opinion / Interview Series COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Gayle Smith, President and CEO of the ONE Campaign, about the global response to COVID-19, inclusive access to an eventual vaccine, and the role of civil society in responding to the pandemic.
Precision Medicine and Entrepreneurship: Shaping the Future of Health in Africa?
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series Nigeria COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong, CEO of 54gene, about genomics research and precision medicine in Africa, as well as his company’s response to COVID-19.
Supporting Africa’s Small Businesses and Tackling Debt Sustainability during COVID-19: An Interview with Acha Leke
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to McKinsey’s Chairman for the Africa region, Acha Leke, about government responses to COVID-19, the support needed for SMEs, and debt sustainability.
Interview with Lionel Zinsou: Priorities for Private Sector Growth and Attracting Investment in a Post-Pandemic Africa
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Analysis and Opinion / Interview Series Benin / Nigeria / South Africa COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffLionel Zinsou, Founder and Managing Partner of SouthBridge and former Prime Minister of Benin talks to COVID-19 Africa Watch about opportunities for private sector growth and investment post-COVID-19.
Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals Despite the Pandemic: Interview with Professor Allam Ahmed
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series Ghana / Nigeria / South Africa / Sudan / Tunisia COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffProf. Allam Ahmed, founding President of the World Association for Sustainable Development, speaks to COVID-19 Africa Watch about financing the SDGs, human capital, and access to electricity.
How is COVID-19 Affecting Food Security in West Africa? An Interview with Dr. Mabouba Diagne
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffDr. Mabouba Diagne of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development talks to COVID-19 Africa Watch about the lessons of COVID-19 for improving food security in the West Africa region.
Small-Scale Farming in the Face of COVID-19 in South Africa: An Interview with Mbali Nwoko
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series South Africa COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch talks to Mbali Nwoko, CEO of Green Terrace, about how COVID-19 is impacting small-scale farming in South Africa.
Interview with Omer Omarabi: Using FinTech in Sudan’s Economic Response to COVID-19
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series Sudan COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch speaks to Omer Omarabi, the General Manager of Electronic Banking Services Sudan, about how financial technology has played a role in Sudan’s COVID-19 response initiatives.
Interview with K.Y. Amoako on Africa’s Economic Recovery and Transformation
African Voices on COVID-19's Impact / Interview Series COVID-19 Africa Watch Video by Milken Institute staffCOVID-19 Africa Watch speaks to K.Y. Amoako, President of the African Center for Economic Transformation, about the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across the continent.