Countering COVID-19 Misinformation in Africa
“Beyond spotting viral misinformation and disinformation, it is essential to provide content that works to counter these rumors and to spread trustworthy information.”
News & Analysis: Education
What Happened to Senegalese Students after the COVID-19 School Closure?
Analysis and Opinion Senegal Center for Global Development Report/Study by John Schellhase“Although the dropout rate has remained stable, repetition rates have increased significantly in Senegal. The high repetition rate is concerning, first because it translates to a lack of learning, and second because it will increase the age range of students in the next cohort.”
Seychelles: World’s Most Vaccinated Nation Activates Curbs as Cases Rise
Latest Developments Seychelles Bloomberg Article/Blog post by John Schellhase“Seychelles, which has fully vaccinated more of its population against COVID-19 than any other country, has closed schools and canceled sporting activities for two weeks as infections surge.”
Education must be a crisis priority, not an afterthought
Analysis and Opinion How We Made It In Africa Article/Blog post by Milken Institute staff“COVID-19 has created enormous disruptions in the lives of African youth. Millions of young people have had their learning put on hold for the better part of a year. And unlike in more developed regions, the vast majority of students in Africa, up to about 80 percent, don’t have access to the internet, making remote learning all but impossible in most areas.”
Surviving lockdown in the Central African Republic
Analysis and Opinion Central African Republic Norwegian Refugee Council Report/Study by John Schellhase“The food insecurity brought about by the COVID-19 measures was devastating and compounded an already precarious situation.”
In Ghana, fears over pandemic rise in teenage pregnancies
Latest Developments Ghana AFP Article/Blog post by John Schellhase“Activists estimate that nearly one woman in seven in the country becomes pregnant before the age of 19. And, they say, anecdotal evidence suggests the numbers soared last year after the authorities closed schools to help curb the spread of COVID-19.”
Inequality warning: The pandemic’s impact on education
Analysis and Opinion Botswana / Burkina Faso / Eswatini / Malawi / Namibia / South Africa / Zimbabwe Daily Maverick Article/Blog post by John Schellhase“Access to education has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments across southern Africa closed down educational institutions for the greater part of 2020. At the beginning of 2021, we are beginning to see some of the costs.”
Battling misinformation wars in Africa: Applying lessons from GMOs to COVID-19
Analysis and Opinion The Conversation Article/Blog post by Milken Institute staff“The flood of misinformation around vaccines evokes an eerie sense of déjà vu. It is reminiscent of the aggressively anti Genetically Modified Organism campaign that has stalled Africa’s efforts to improve the productivity and nutrition of key crops over the past three decades.”
Post-COVID-19 Economic Recovery: Can Technology Alone Lift African Economies?
Analysis and Opinion Angola / Nigeria / South Africa COVID-19 Africa Watch Article/Blog post by Danny LeipzigerProfessor Danny Leipziger of George Washington University discusses the role of technology in shaping the future of Sub-Saharan Africa after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The SDGs are our compass for bolstering Africa’s long-term COVID-19 recovery
Analysis and Opinion Brookings Institution Op-ed by John Schellhase“COVID-19 presents us with an opportunity to re-imagine a better future through our response—a fairer and more equal world. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is aligned with the African Union Agenda 2063, remains the best framework for doing just that.”
A hub for information, analysis, and the global response to COVID-19’s impact on Africa