This archive report was first published on 5 July 2020.
On July 5, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta praised Africa's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying it had been more effective than many other parts of the world.
Speaking at a webinar on post-Covid-19 reconstruction, the President noted that despite limited resources, the continent had rolled out proactive measures that were helping to save lives.
‘Africa has responded to Covid-19 much better than most other parts of the world, particularly when you consider its relatively weaker resource base,’ the President said.
He highlighted the continent's relatively low number of cases and deaths, with around 400,000 confirmed cases and just over 10,000 deaths, compared to the United States.
‘For a continent with 1.2 billion people, we have about 400,000 confirmed cases and just over 10,000 deaths. For comparison, that is about 15% of the cases in the United States and 7% of US deaths,’ the President said.
However, the President warned against complacency, saying the pandemic was likely to get worse in the coming months.
He listed peer learning, data-driven decision-making, pragmatism, and regular and transparent communication as some of the best practices that would help Africa defeat the virus.
The President also highlighted the role of religious leaders in containing the spread of Covid-19, citing Kenya's example where they have been instrumental in providing critical outreach to vulnerable communities.
