President
of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday urged African countries to collaborate
more in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic through information sharing
and pooling of intervention resources.
President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta |
Speaking during a virtual meeting of the African
Union Bureau of the Assembly with the Chairpersons of the Regional Economic
Communities (RECs), President Kenyatta appreciated the support Africa has
received from the international community but emphasized the need for the continent
to stand together in the fight against Covid-19 saying unity will ensure better
results.
Other leaders who participated in the meeting
included Presidents Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (Egypt), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Idriss
Deby (Chad), Andry Rajoelina (Madagascar), Felix Tshisekedi (DRC), Ali Bongo
Ondimba (Gabon), Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (Mali) and the Chairperson of the
African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat.
“I want to say that we need to be able to work
together and to pool whatever little resources we have and show that we are
also capable of coming together to defeat this virus.
“I also believe that at the end of the day it is
going to take each and everyone of us individually and collectively to win this
war and not necessarily depending 100 percent on our friends from the outside
world coming to support us,” President Kenyatta said.
He said African leaders need to understand that
countries the world over are overwhelmed by the pandemic pointing out that even
the richest nations are struggling to meet demands brought about by Covid-19.
“We are facing financial, material and structural
constraints. However, we must also face up to the reality that resources are
finite everywhere and even the richest countries today are struggling in the
wake of this global pandemic. Therefore, I am very encouraged by what we are doing
for ourselves on the continent,” the Kenyan leader said.
He pointed out that African nations need to move
with speed in mobilizing and deploying resources to support countries in the
fight against Covid-19.
So far, African countries led by South Africa and
Egypt have pledged 61 million US Dollars for the fight against the virus on the
continent.
The Kenyan Head of State said there was need to
encourage more African nations to contribute to the kitty so as to scale up
continental interventions.
“As we continue to fight this pandemic which
continues to pose an existential threat to many of our countries, I also
believe that there are encouraging signs if we continue to stay the course,
remain focused, vigilant and more importantly disciplined,” he said.
President Kenyatta however expressed concern about
the rise of infections on a daily basis noting that 10 countries in Africa have
over a thousand cases with three of them having passed the four thousand mark.
He therefore urged countries to intensify actions
aimed at containing the spread of the respiratory disease including increased
testing and enhanced surveillance measures.
The President emphasized the need to use Regional
Economic Communities (RECs) as enablers of effective monitoring and
implementation of continental response to Covid-19, saying enhanced
cross-border communication will help slow down the spread of the virus.
“I just think that if we were to defeat this enemy,
we need to really be able to ensure that through our RECs we are able to communicate,
to work together, to be able to deal with cross-border issues because unless we
fight together, we will lose together,” he said. - Africa
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