World Health Organization or WHO convened a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya this week, with representatives from the African Union and key United Nations partner agencies to join forces in fighting the coronavirus in continent.
The meeting to strengthen cooperation to better coordinate readiness and response efforts across Africa came after confirmation of cases in Algeria, Senegal, Nigeria and South Africa.
Similar meeting was also taking place in Dakar with Francophone partners, also led by the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
This week’s meetings were to ensure that efforts are coordinated, not duplicated, and that scarce resources are used in the most effective way possible.
At the meetings, a regional partner coordination mechanism was established, and a draft joint work plan was published that outlined priority actions for attendees over the coming months.
Regional Directors and agency heads are now drafting a joint letter to the governments of all Member States and Regional Economic Communities to inform them of the agreed key actions.
‘We are calling on all countries to invest urgently in preparedness for the arrival of cases, and to prioritize the protection of health workers, individuals at risk, and to communicate better the risks of transmission to their people,’ said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
‘These cases should be a wake-up call for governments across Africa. Governments must do all they can to prepare for an eventual outbreak: time is critical’, he added.