The Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) says the COVID-19
pandemic is exposing the long history of failure of governance in Africa.
The foundation said this during the first edition of its
programme, “Policy Dialogue Series”, which held during the weekend. The theme
of the dialogue was “COVID-19, Peace and Security in Africa: Impact, Risk and
Mitigation”.
The dialogue attracted participants from many nations,
including Kenya, Gabon, Uganda, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom and
Nigeria.
In a communique on Monday, the foundation said the dialogue
was used to examine the impacts and risks associated with the pandemic on peace
and security in Africa.
It also said the dialogue was used to seek approaches and
strategies for mitigating such impacts in the light of current realities and
the fragile nature of some African states.
It, however, called on African leaders to look inward and
develop “country-specific, original and organic solution that spoke to peace
and security issues”.
It tasked leaders to take advantage of the talents, skills,
and experiences that abound within the continent and urged African countries to
start collaborating and leveraging on their comparative advantage.
“The COVID-19 pandemic exposes the vulnerability of many
communities, placing citizens at a high risk of recruitment by extremist
groups,” it said.
“There is tendency for African leaders in their attempt to
end the cycle of infection of the virus to shift focus or be blind to the peace
and security issues facing the continent.
“Shutting down tertiary institutions during this period of
crisis is counterproductive to the growth and development of the continent as
the pandemic presents an opportunity for African leaders to leverage on
technology and ensure that learning continues.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is exposing the long history of
failure of governance in the continent. Economic concerns are beginning to take
priority over the health, peace and security of citizens.
“The current approach of city-wide lockdowns and movement
restriction denies citizens access to their safe spaces and other forms of
human rights, increase in reported cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the
continent.
“The needs of women, the youth and other vulnerable groups
are often neglected in emergency response situations as posed by the current
pandemic.”
It tasked leaders across the continent to develop a robust
database and clinical evidence about the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa.
It also noted that the measure would “help in developing the
appropriate approach in tackling the impact and risks associated with the
health crisis.”
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