Abstract:
African countries often experience challenges in dealing with epidemics of a global scale that occur periodically. The objective of this article is to highlight key lessons from Africa’s pandemics and economic leap after COVID-19. The article draws from historic perspectives of how the continent has battled pandemics in the past, including HIV/AIDS, influenza, and Ebola, among others. Practical examples from specific country examples, including South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, and Ghana have been highlighted in a bid to demonstrate the continent’s struggles when it comes to dealing with pandemics. The article also wades into the economic, political, educational, and cultural conditions of Africa after facing COVID-19. In particular, the article reveals that COVID-19 has come at a time when Africa continues to lag behind in terms of lack of industrialization and stunted economic growth, factors that have compounded the general preparedness to tackle the pandemic. Fourteen countries in Africa still surround their financial autonomy with France, a fact that has contributed in undermining the collective economic growth and social development of the affected countries. Africa geopolitics will continue to have a lasting effect on the continent’s capability to tackle COVID-19, particularly given that the eternal power struggle for a long reign, mismanagement, and poverty frustration will overpower any development action plan.
Keywords—COVID-19 economic, political, cultural, and education Africa’s pandemics
