Africa prepares – Facts not Fear | 26 March 2020

46 countries in Africa register COVID-19 cases

The African Union (AU) is also keeping track of the pandemic COVID-19 and yesterday it updated its site with these information: As of March 25, 2020, forty-six (46) countries on the continent have registered a total of 2,475 cases, 64 deaths and 196 recoveries with regard to COVID-19.

COVID-19 Surveillance Update: March 25, 2020 4:30pm

2,475 cases, 64 deaths, 196 recoveries with regard to COVID-19 have been reported in 46 countries as follows:

Central (145 cases, 5 deaths, 3 recoveries): Cameroon (70, 1, 3), Central African Republic (5, 0, 0), Chad (3, 0, 0), Congo (4, 0, 0), DRC (48, 3, 1), Equatorial Guinea (9, 0, 0), Gabon (6, 1, 0)

Eastern (193, 3, 4): Djibouti (11, 0, 0), Eritrea (1, 0, 0), Ethiopia (12, 0, 4), Kenya (25, 0, 0), Madagascar (19, 0, 0), Mauritius (48, 2, 0), Rwanda (40, 0, 0), Seychelles (7, 0, 0), Somalia (1, 0, 0), Sudan (3, 1, 0), Tanzania (12, 0, 0), Uganda (14, 0, 0)

Northern (953, 47, 164): Algeria (264, 19, 77), Egypt (402, 20, 80), Libya (1, 0, 0), Mauritania (2, 0, 0), Morocco (170, 5, 6), Tunisia (114, 3, 1)

Southern (740, 1, 12): Angola (2, 0, 0 ), Eswatini (5, 0, 0), Mozambique (3, 0, 0), Namibia (6, 0, 0), South Africa (709, 0, 12), Zambia (12, 0, 0), Zimbabwe (3, 1, 0)

Western (444, 8, 20): Benin (5, 0, 0), Burkina Faso (114, 4, 5), Cape Verde (3, 0, 0), Côte d'Ivoire (73, 0, 3), Gambia (3, 1, 0), Ghana (68, 2, 1), Guinea (4, 0, 0), Guinea-Bissau (2, 0, 0), Liberia (3, 0, 0), Mali (2, 0, 0), Niger (2, 0, 0), Nigeria (46, 1, 2), Senegal (99, 0, 8), Togo (20, 0, 1).

In a message by the African Union Commission Chairperson to African member States on March 23, Moussa Faki Mahamat, he noted that “Everyone knows the world has been hit hard by a massive and far-reaching tragedy: the coronavirus. Africa is not spared from this public health pandemic. It is for this reason that you must heed the message from Dr Tedros, director general of the WHO, who said that Africa must expect the worst. Now is the time for mobilisation, vigilance, solidarity and above all responsibility. This mobilisation is necessary in view of the state of the health infrastructure and technical capacities of most of our countries. I know the efforts made by all member states, those already affected and those who are not yet, to deal with the pandemic. I therefore strongly encourage them, as well as all political, economic, social and cultural stakeholders, to maintain this momentum, to further reinforce the measures already taken, to apply and ensure that everyone follows the recommendations as provided by the relevant scientific authorities are followed strictly. Here at the African Union, we did not wait to act. As of February 22, the African Centres for Disease Control (Africa CDC) convened all the African ministers for health for an emergency meeting. During that meeting a Continental Response Plan was developed for continent-wide coordination in consultation with WHO and other partners.”

He also noted that Africa CDC also trained surveillance and detection teams, and made screening kits available to 42 member States so far and they will help countries in distress.

Vidya Gappy

The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU has just over 1 billion people and an area of around 29 million km2 (11 million sq mi) and includes popular world landmarks, including the Sahara desert and the Nile river. The primary languages spoken include Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, and other languages of Africa. Within the African Union, there are official bodies such as the Peace and Security Council and the Pan-African Parliament. The African Union spearheads Africa’s development and integration in close collaboration with African Union Member States, the Regional Economic Communities and African citizens. AU Vision: to accelerate progress towards an integrated, prosperous and inclusive Africa, at peace with itself, playing a dynamic role in the continental and global arena, effectively driven by an accountable, efficient and responsive Commission.