UN Secretary General regrets COVID-19's misdeeds on Africa's progress

23 Août 2020

Dakar, Senegal, August 23 (Infosplusgabon) - UN Secretary-General António Guterres Saturday  deplored the negative impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on African economies but welcomed the continent's efforts to combat it.

"In recent years, African countries have done much to improve the well-being of the continent's people. Economic growth has been strong. The digital revolution has taken hold. A Free Trade Area has been decided, but the pandemic threatens the progress made in Africa," he said in a statement sent to PANA here.

According to him, the pandemic will aggravate existing inequalities and increase hunger, malnutrition and vulnerability to the disease.

"Already, demand for African commodities, tourism and remittances are declining. The opening of the Free Trade Area has been postponed and millions of people could slide into extreme poverty," he added.

Guterres highlighted the efforts of African countries to curb the spread of the pandemic, thus thwarting the most pessimistic predictions on the continent.

"As COVID-19 spreads across the continent, Africa has responded quickly to the pandemic and to date the number of reported cases is lower than feared.

“I commend African countries, as well as the African Union, for what they have already undertaken," he said at the launch of a briefing note on the impact of COVID-19 on Africa.

He recalled that the virus had caused more than 2,500 deaths in Africa, underscoring the need for increased vigilance and mobilization.

"I express my fullest solidarity with African peoples and governments in their struggle against COVID-19. UN agencies, country teams, peacekeeping operations and humanitarian actors are fully supporting these efforts," he added.

The UN Secretary-General believes that African countries should have the same rapid, equitable and affordable access to any future vaccines and treatments that should be considered as global public goods.

"The pandemic in Africa is in its early stages and the disruption could escalate rapidly. It is imperative to show global solidarity with Africa now and for a better recovery. It is essential to end the pandemic in Africa, to end it worldwide," he argued.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/AGF/GABON2020

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