Pandor leads webinar on virus impact

Group Foreign Editor

MINISTER of International Relations Naledi Pandor led a webinar yesterday on the socio-economic impact of Covid-19 on the African continent.

“This is the first in a series of public engagements initiated by Dirco (Department of International Relations and Co-operation) to enhance the quality of public participation in the shaping of South Africa’s foreign policy trajectory and shaping our thinking and action in the response to the pandemic,” Pandor told a panel of speakers and participants.

Speakers included Dr Ahmed Ouma, deputy director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control; Dr Eddy Maloka, chief executive of the African Peer Review Mechanism; and Dr Philani Mthembu of the Institute for Global Dialogue.

“We have had many deliberations on Covid-19, but these tend to occur at the level of state actors rather than our academics, think tanks, and bodies focused on research outside of the clinical sciences or the health sector.

“We are thrilled that today our attempt to bring into play a broader range of expertise will assist us in expanding government’s knowledge base,” she said.

Pandor reiterated Africa’s commitment to silencing the guns on the continent, even though Covid-19 has undermined the AU’s efforts in this regard. The date for the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement has been postponed due to the pandemic and dangers of cross-border interaction.

The AU has taken proactive measures to curtail the spread of the pandemic, and strengthened the Africa Centres for Disease Control.

The virus is going to have a significant impact on the continent, and the key is to save lives and strengthen local health systems so countries have the capacity to respond to the peak and then recover, rebuild and overcome.

“Africa has resilience, but we must not act as though the pandemic is the only challenge. We need to develop regional supply chains, act on our industrialisation strategy, enhance intra-African trade, and ensure we have the necessary human resources to address our challenges,” Pandor said.

A suggestion was made by Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, the chief executive of the South African Institute of International Relations, that a task team be established on conflicts in the context of the pandemic was welcomed by the minister.