Africa and COVID 19

Africa and COVID 19

Africa is blessed with natural resources and a young generation that has the prospects of catapulting Africa to be a global player in the coming century. Paying critical attention to the situation at hand and that is Coronavirus that has grappled the world by the throat whereby the mighty have been reduced to the same level as the third world countries they used to mock and laugh. However, exploring the impact of Coronavirus one comes to understand and observe that the virus in itself has opened a door of endless possibilities. 

The endless possibilities one is inclining to is the obvious white elephant in the room and that is regional cooperation. In May on the 30th day in the year 2019, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) was signed and brought into existence in appreciation that African Countries should work among each other. In the view of this blog, the "Free Trade Agreement" one can note it was a prophetic vision of the looming Covid19 that would wreak havoc across the globe, incapacitating the mightiest of all nations and humbling the lofty of all people. One can note the the "Free Trade Agreement" was a foreshadow of the coming pandemic. One can narrate endlessly just to submit into the fray the vitality of the Free Trade Agreement and how it came at the perfect time to be introduced on to the face of the continent. Africa in the naughties was dubbed the basket case of problems, the child that needs to be saved from itself. The continent that cannot solve its own problems it needs the "caucasian messiah" to come to the rescue all the time. However, with the inception of the Millenium trickling down to the new decade it is evident that Africa is not the future, Africa is the now and stretching the analysis a bit further to the stratosphere of Pan-Africanism Africa is the forever. It depends on how views the coming dominance of Africa in global politics and entertainment, it is just a matter of time; from observing the Coronavirus pandemic. Africa is fairly doing quite well as one would safely note though note throwing all thee cards to the table. The battle against Coronavirus is well and alive.

Life is not a matter of comparison, in comparing the party to the next party from observing it results in anxiety and among other psychological problems that people experience when they are in a panic state. In observing how Africa is responding to Coronavirus one can note though she is underdeveloped and incapacitated to the make ends meet due to several reasons one can cite corruption, sanctions and governmental interference and an array of problems that have bedevilled the beautiful continent and its inhabitants. Exploring further the infinite depths of how Africa is proving to be a force to reckon during times of need like these ones can note; the once labelled "shit hole" by Donald Trump is proving otherwise. Understanding the standpoint of this blog "Africa and Covid19" while weaving through the Trump expression one note that in as much as the label "shit hole" was used to describe Africa the number of cases that are being recorded and submitted by the W.H.O. and other institutions that focus on health Africa though she is feeling the heavyweight of the pandemic as she is a global citizen her numbers are fair. In citing some examples, though some African states might be tinkering with the numbers just to appear glossy among the league of nations. African states in total thus far have 51.549 cases the number of deaths related to Covid19 thus far at least 2.006 and infected countries 53 and virus-free 1 Lesotho. In noting humbly in as much is happening the mountain Kingdom of AbaSotho, from military interference to first lady ordering assassinations of mistresses among other events happening simultaneously the Mountain Kingdom has no recorded cases of Coronavirus thus far which is worthy of any conscious persons praise. Cascading further in as much as Africa is inhumanely labelled "shit hole" she is doing exceptionally well.

Carrying on to the next point of discussion, for aeons Africa has been battling to attract the attention of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to bolster and improve her economy, though this angle is paying attention to individual states. As they engage with the US, European Union, The Middle East and China; the emergence of Covid19 from the streets of Wuhan, China on to the world stage like a musical icon at a global citizen concert. Observing in as much as Coronavirus has whisked away lives that is an unintended casualty nor is it expected to happen, however, in any pandemic that would happen in any time and space nor era the loss of lives is an expected result. Digesting this pandemic as a whole it cannot go without noticing that the major players in global economics and trade have taken a dip from the manufacturing global titan China to the grizzly consumer-driven American and Europe and the ever raw material producing Africa, who is under-appreciated in the equation. There has been a stagnation of the global economy as oil prices are falling, this means that the price of fuel at the petrol station would be reduced by at least seven rands or eight rands depending on the distributor. Churning further, it is evident that the global trading powers are not performing at maximum capacity because the economic conveying belt is performing at the subminimum performance as expected. This is a welcome development leaning towards the goal of detaching Africa from the hallucinogenic idea of the caucasian child is the one who should solve all of Africa's problems. The pandemic has forced Africa to look within for solutions and ideas, quite recently President John Magufuli of Tanzania has banned the use of Coronavirus testing kits. It was after a test was done on a goat and a paw-paw, the two independent tests all came out positive to Coronavirus. This, in turn, means that the virus itself cannot be detected with the kits that were meant to detect coronavirus thence this results in one sole mission African integration for coming up with ideas that are revolutionary in all facets that can be brought into consideration to bolster regional cooperation. One such example is the Madagascan traditional medicine that is being reported to help up in the battle of Covid19. Other than relying on American medical centre's to prove the effectiveness of the medicine this Madagascan traditional medicine can be tested in African laboratories in local Universities that are found in Africa. Furthermore, the production of localised protective wear such as face masks and even Personal Protective Equipment (PPE's) can be manufactured in Africa; because of the fact that the industries outside Africa are dangerous.

One such example also would be looking at Kenya, she is performing exceptionally well in the tech industry. She has garnered the nickname the "The Silicon Valley of Africa" however, that nickname lacks originality it has to be changed to be a Pan-African name that is original and African. A slight tangent there is a great significance in names when one comes to note. Covid19 in the observation of this blog has come at a time where Africa come together and affirm regional cooperation. States such Guinnea who in 2019 announced that they are moving away from using the CFA they are prone to inflation and economic upheaval this means that the common folk who does not understand the shift from the CFA to the local currency is easily manipulated to rise against the Guinean President Alpha Conde and his administration. Thus, Covid19 not only is taking lives, but it is also encouraging an inter African cooperation this encourages the birthing of a singular African currency among other ideas that encourage African growth. The main agenda is to break down the left colonial borders and create all African independence.

In conclusion in light of the Coronavirus that is taking away lives this pandemic upon looking at it in Africa. It encourages regional cooperation.