Pan-African leaders share critical perspectives on COVID-19 pandemic

Africa 2.0 members share a collection of short opinion pieces about the impact of the global pandemic on African and Afro-descendant communities and offer views on what this may mean for the future

The future can be shaped by our collective imagination, so we must share our vision. That is one of the core principles that has guided the Africa 2.0 community as it has come together in recent weeks to compile the paper “Collateral Benefits” that launches today on the organisations website. The paper brings together 27 opinion pieces from 17 thinkers and doers, providing a nuanced, multi-country-multi-sector outlook on both the challenges and opportunities for Africa, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Africa 2.0 is a pan-African civil society group made up of emerging and established leaders who have a shared vision for the transformation of the continent. This paper draws on the experience and expertise of the organisation’s membership community, to bring a much-needed Africa perspective to the global conversation surrounding the impact of COVID-19. Mamadou Touré, Chairman and Founder of Africa 2.0 said “there is much to be proud of within Africa and its Diaspora, but also much that needs to improve and the COVID-19 pandemic is a test to our African resilience. With Collateral Benefits we want to use this situation to ignite actions that leave behind a long lasting legacy based on unity, freedom and prosperity”.

Lead editors of the paper, Susana Edjang and Sarah J Owusu explain: ‘we wanted to create a rich resource, that lifts up the human perspective and encourages African people everywhere to start imagining what may be possible beyond the immediate disruption caused by the spread of the virus.’

The contributions to the paper span topics such as agriculture, gender relations, media and culture, youth, health and education, leadership, entrepreneurship and diaspora. The editors want this paper to encourage people to join the conversation, bring visibility to what is happening and spark action so that, as they say in the paper, “when we emerge from our lockdowns, the narrative has changed for the better, for the benefit of all”.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Africa 2.0.

About Africa 2.0
Africa 2.0 is a Pan-African Civil Society Organisation made up of a community of emerging and established African leaders who share a collective vision for Africa and a commitment to finding and implementing sustainable solutions that will drive forward the transformation of the continent.