This archive report was first published on 20 May 2020.
On May 20, 2020, a virtual meeting convened by the New York Forum Institute brought together African leaders to discuss the continent's role in the global post-Covid-19 economic recovery.
The meeting, themed 'Resilient World: An African call for a New World Order,' featured Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Macky Sall (Senegal), Alassane Ouattara (Ivory Coast), Julius Maada Bio (Sierra Leone), and Mahamadou Issoufou (Niger).
President Kenyatta emphasized the need for the international community to view and treat Africa as an equal partner in development, stating, 'Africa is not the problem but through partnership we can be a solution.'
He noted that the continent has the competencies and resources to support the world's recovery from the Coronavirus health crisis and highlighted Kenya's use of technology to manage the spread of the virus and keep the economy moving.
President Sall of Senegal urged the international community to provide a level playing field for Africa to meet its obligations, while Presidents Ouattara, Bio, and Issoufou echoed sentiments shared by their Kenyan and Senegalese colleagues, emphasizing the potential of Africa's bulging youth population to help the world overcome the adverse socioeconomic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
